Perspectives

Nandu_Nandkishore_TPCI

Post-COVID lives & livelihoods: Food for thought for decision makers everywhere

In line with the principles of Triage in medical treatments, Prof Nandu Nandkishore, Indian School of Business, offers an actionable framework to enable governments to set their priorities right post-COVID..

Tea Plantation

Post-crisis rejuvenation for Indian tea

COVID-19 has made the going tougher for the tea industry. Players may find it prudent to join forces to boost brand equity & valuation of Indian tea.

Soyabean_TPCI_Final

Avenues for Indian agri-exports in post-pandemic US

With America's farm sector badly impacted by the pandemic, India can potentially boost agri-exports in sectors like dairy, meat, sugar, fruits & cereals.

Furniture

Designing Import Substitution Policy for Developing Furniture Cluster in India

India should promote setting up of clusters, boosting innovation and branding culture & placing import restrictions to boost the domestic furniture sector.

Black Pepper

Black gold conundrum: India’s rising pepper imports

India needs to enhance adoption of scientific methods for increasing piperine content, improve yield and control price fluctuations for the pepper crop.

Sunitha-Raju_TPCI

Electronics Manufacturing Policy: India Should Move Beyond Self-Reliance

Dr Sunitha Raju asserts that while India has the capability to integrate with global value chains in electronics, the focus should be on building a strong component ecosystem, incentivizing value addition over imports, developing indigenous standards and promoting SMEs.

Pharma Sector

Accelerating progress towards self-sufficiency in pharma

COVID-19 crisis has amplified is the need for self-sufficiency in API production, for which government and pharma industry must work in close coordination.

Information Technology

Making the most of a calamity: Case of the Indian IT industry

As it struggles with demand & supply side issues, India's IT sector must devise new operational & customer engagement models to navigate the COVID-19 crisis

Seema Gupta

“Zeal of e-commerce to empower kirana with technology is temporary”

IIM Bangalore’s Prof. Seema Gupta cautions that the enthusiasm of e-commerce firms to empower kiranas with technology is only a temporary one. From the perspective of e-commerce firms, partnerships should either increase their sales or reduce their operating costs. It is not clear as to how that will happen. Feel good factors like customer relationship & geographical proximity cannot drive hard business decisions and investments.

Vijay K.R

Good prospects for warehousing, data centres & reasonably priced office space

Vijay KR, Partner, Deloitte India, predicts that the new normal in commercial real estate could have limited and mature commercial real estate developers with deeper pockets and greater focus on safety, security, and transparency and occupier wellness.

Kirana Ecommerce

Digital makeover of kiranas: Just a tap away?

E-commerce companies and local kirana stores can derive synergies through win-win partnerships, especially as online spending accelerates post-lockdown.

Exports

Global Value Chains post-COVID: Paving the road to revival

The disruption of global value chains due to COVID-19 may significantly impact developing countries’ potential to industrialize in the years to come. The scenario calls for a coordinated policy action.

Kirana

“Kirana shops can be extended arms for e-commerce players”

Dr. Rajat Agrawal, IIT Roorkee, opines that India must facilitate co-existence of e-commerce and local kirana stores, as both have their unique advantages. The growing size of the Indian retail market will provide sufficient attraction for all types of players.

Post-lockdown Italy: Adjusting to a new normal

With other major supplying countries badly hit by COVID-19, India can play a major role as a trade partner to Italy, especially in the agriculture sector.

Net Banking

Covid-19: The fertile ground for the blossoming of neobanking in India

Neobanking offers accessibility, suitability and cost-effective customer-centric banking solutions, but it still faces regulatory and execution challenges.

Chintan Patel

“Office space absorption may decrease by 30-50% for 2021, with rents to see marginal decline”

Chintan Patel, Partner and Leader – Building, Construction & Real Estate, KPMG in India, contends that commercial realty/office space sector will witness short term disruptions, especially with social distancing and the rise of the work-from-home (WFH) phenomenon. He adds that it will be difficult to make reasonable projections for recovery before Q4, 2020 or till a vaccine is found.

Co-working Space

Empowering SMBs Post-COVID-19: A SMALL Framework

SMBs are expected to face several financial challenges post-COVID. The 'SMALL' framework will help them re-assess and improve their operational readiness.

Anshul Jain

“Commercial realty slowdown will not last long”

Anshul Jain, MD - India & S E Asia, Cushman & Wakefield assures there is no structural issue with commercial realty, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. It is actually a postponement of demand, rather than cancellation. He also points out to a major positive vis-à-vis the 2009 crisis - that the sector is sitting on far less vacancies at present.

Yoga

Post-Lockdown: An opportunity to regain Aatma nirbharta in Yoga

The COVID-19 lockdowns have boosted demand for yoga in the Indian market. Stakeholders can use this opportunity to help yoga regain lost ground in the domestic and export market. Detailed research is required to assess the potential, identify the barriers in yoga services and accessories’ exports, and to bring out a do-able action plan.

Turmeric

Why India’s turmeric industry needs a healing touch

India is witnessing a sharp surge in turmeric imports over the past few years. This must be mitigated through immediate interventions to align production standards with expectations of end-user industries.

Indira Devi

“Traceability systems and reduced food miles are key interventions post-COVID”

Raising awareness, use of technology and promoting local food culture can help address consumer concerns on COVID-19 contamination in the agri-value chain.

Farmers

“Better remuneration will encourage farmers to increase vegetable production”

Processing infrastructure for milk and vegetables can help farmers get more remunerative prices for their produce and minimise post-harvest losses.

Zero tariffs on electronic transmissions = Next wave of economic imperialism?

A continued moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions could lead to a highly lopsided trade growth favour of developed countries, especially with emerging technologies like 3D printing, AI and robotics. This is both undesirable and unsustainable, and needs to be debated more seriously at the WTO.

Services manufacturing

Servitization of manufacturing: A post-COVID eventuality

Servitization enables manufacturers to improve trustworthiness of products, help customers obtain superior value, and develop new revenue streams. Its relevance becomes even more relevant in the post-COVID era.

China vs World

China vs the world: Where should India stand?

As more countries rally against China on trade as well as its role in the COVID-19 pandemic, India must look to bolster its self-reliance and emerge as a viable alternative for manufacturing FDI. At the same time, it also needs to voice its support for friendly countries contesting China's aggressive territorial designs, especially in the South China sea.

Social Media

COVID-19: Assessing our enhanced digital footprint

COVID-19 has further enhanced the role of digital technology in our personal and professional lives, raising new concerns on data protection & security.

PPE Kits

Product Profile – PPE Kit (Personal Protective Equipment)

India has ramped up its PPE supplies in a fairly short span of time, and has an unprecedented opportunity to cater to the imminent global demand surge.

Dr. Nilanjan Banik

Land, labour & contract reforms are key to India’s FDI attractiveness

If India ensures desired reforms in land, labour and contract enforcement, quite a few industries like electronics could emerge as viable avenues for FDI. 

“States must identify & communicate with specific large firms to boost FDI”

India should ensure strategic use of FDI, build on its advantages, focus on training & education and move up the value chain to become a manufacturing hub..

Graciela Chichilnisky

“Business relocation will be easier post-COVID-19”

Technology and climate change will be key considerations for businesses planning relocation amidst the present COVID-19 led disruption of global supply chains. She further adds that protectionism could be replaced by pro-immigration policies soon in the case of developed countries, since they are facing an immediate risk in terms of declining populations.

Gregory Shaffer

“Governments need to incentivize supply chain diversification”

While COVID-19 has brought the importance of supply chain diversification to the fore, companies may be compelled to choose efficiency due to competitive pressure and stakeholder demands. This may necessitate government intervention.

Rashmi Banga

Moratorium on duties for electronic transmissions at the WTO is untenable

Developing countries should be able to levy tariffs on electronic transmissions as they deem appropriate. Moreover, with the ambiguous nature of electronic transmissions, and the overwhelming dominance of a few countries in their exports, developing nations should not agree to extend the moratorium on their customs duties. 

Santosh Kumar Sarangi

Blockchain, AI, IoT: How India can help farmers by leveraging these technologies

India presently has tremendous opportunity to revive its farm sector with technologies like AI, blockchain & IoT. Companies have begun to use ETs in agriculture, directed towards three broad interventions - crop & soil monitoring, predictive agricultural analytics and supply chain management.

Nandu_Nandkishore_TPCI

“A startup based only on cool technology will fail”

Investors are probably not going to be as bullish about evaluations for startups, as they would have been 2-3 years ago. Business case from startup founders has to be much sharper with comprehensive scenario planning.

Sudipta Ghosh

The future is digital: AI and ML in a post COVID-19 world

Sudipta Ghosh, PwC India, feels that post-COVID, AI-enabled deployment of automation technology to reduce worker density without impacting output will rise.

Sunitha-Raju_TPCI

Manufacturing ecosystem in India: Lessons from China

Dr Sunitha Raju, IIFT feels that India must prioritize manufacturing sectors with high technology spill overs & support productivity enhancement and R&D .

Bhaskar Bhowmick

Startups post-COVID: If you are alive, you are in profits

Dr Bhaskar Bhowmick, IIT Kharagpur, suggests a strategic roadmap for startups to deliver a solid comeback story, when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

“COVID-19 may set back automotive technology by 2-4 quarters”

Rajeev Singh, National Leader & Partner –Automotive, Deloitte India, opines that COVID-19 may compel the industry to starve R&D investments to survive.

Narendra Kr Sharma

“Marketing budgets can be supported through pooling policies”

Dr N K Sharma suggests that companies manage their marketing budgets through consortia and pass on cost benefits to the consumer during the pandemic phase.

Agriculture mechanization

Agriculture post-COVID: An opportunity for evolution

Besides tackling short-term disruptions, Indian agriculture can leverage the pandemic to emerge more holistically resilient through targeted interventions.

WTO

India at WTO: Valuing sustainability over niche trade

India has taken a logical stance at WTO on protecting developing nations & LDCs from deep tariff cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 Economics: Tough choices, valuable lessons

COVID-19 is compelling unpleasant choices, while reminding us that it may not be too late to retrieve the planet from our growth obsession in economics.

Digital payments

Covid-19 Banking: Low on contact, high on intensity

With the government supporting credit to businesses under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, banks have a key role to play in reviving private sector growth.

Marketing post-COVID: Be mindfully digital & practise cautious hibernation

Dr Sreelata Jonnalagedda, IIM Bangalore, feels that limited and quality marketing communication may be a better approach in the present COVID-19 pandemic.

“India must incentivise services that support manufacturing”

With rising servicification of manufacturing, Dr Arpita Mukherjee, ICRIER, asserts that supporting allied services sectors will make India more competitive.

India is set for market-seeking and resource-seeking FDI

Prof Pravakar Sahoo feels that India needs reforms in infrastructure, trade facilitation, IPR, land & labour to replace China as the global FDI destination.

Startup losses

Startups post COVID-19: Plans perish, DNA thrives

COVID-19 has impacted strategic outlook and investor sentiment for startups. They must tap their entrepreneurial instincts & spot emerging opportunities.

“No correlation between export-oriented & employment-oriented production”

Prof. Manoj Pant, Director, IIFT, opines that India needs to fast track FDI and identify its sectoral priorities to become a global production hub.

Pankaj Dayama

“Blockchain will improve supply chain visibility & diversification”

Pankaj S Dayama, Master Inventor, IBM, explains how blockchain can help Indian SMEs become competitive wrt low cost suppliers in regions like China.

Sourav Borah

COVID-19: Cutting down on your marketing budgets can be lethal

Prof Sourav Borah, IIM Ahmedabad, believes companies must be action-oriented towards marketing mix and customer engagement challenges post-COVID.

Zomato contactless delivery

Marketing post COVID-19: Have you developed your recovery strategy yet?

Prof Anuj Kapoor, IIM Ahmedabad, opines that companies need to plan a way to market themselves through the COVID-19 pandemic and recovery period.

Startups

“Startups should pitch on their ability to repurpose quickly”

Dr Rajat Agrawal, IIT Roorkee, is confident that Indian startups will benefit from local demand & high quality skillsets post-COVID, and need to capitalise.

Crisis is an opportunity for brands to differentiate

Prof. Anand Jaiswal, IIM Ahmedabad, feels that brands should prioritise responsible behaviour & social concerns during the COVID-19 period.

Production hub

India’s path to become a global manufacturing hub

India can gain tremendous ground from the global obsession to diversify from China, provided it makes timely adjustments in its manufacturing ecosystem.

Automobile Industry

Automotive industry post-COVID: How to keep the engine humming

COVID-19 is a case of pure bad timing for India's automotive industry. But appropriate adjustments on the demand and supply side can reinvigorate growth.

Indian Currency

Banking sector: Tiding over the pandemic pandemonium

Prof D N Panigrahi, Goa Institute of Management, feels that banks must take carefully calibrated risks for sustained credit flow to the corporate sector.

US Economy

US economy: Does COVID-19 signal the end of Pax Americana?

Besides being the world's largest economy, US is also the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will this crisis accelerate the end of US' global dominance?

Nirmala Sitharaman

Aatma Nirbhar Bharat: Roadmap for self-reliant MSMEs

Redefinition of MSMEs & liquidity boosting measures will aid in their revival. Considering NPA fears, the government may look at a fiscal bailout package.

Blockchain

Blockchain: The supply chain prototype of tomorrow

Blockchain can be a vital tool to facilitate participation of Indian MSMEs in global trade and commerce, while minimising inherent inefficiencies and risks.

Arindam Bandyopadhyay

“Banks must inculcate sustainability & contingency planning”

Dr Arindam Bandopadhyay, NIBM, advises banks to ensure efficient allocation of capital & understand its linkage with business planning to sustain.

Covid19

Marketing post-COVID-19: Return of ‘black & white’ purchasing

Dr P. Venugopal, XLRI predicts lesser shades of grey in consumer spending post-COVID-19. This would imply prioritising basic needs over social orientation.

Indian pharma sector

Pharma sector: Thrust towards self-sufficiency

Sanjay Singh, Partner, Deal Advisory, KPMG India, insists that India must improve self-sufficiency & boost pharma manufacturing for global leadership.

Seema Gupta

E-commerce: India may see something similar to Alibaba’s rise post-SARS

Prof Seema Gupta, IIM Bangalore, emphasizes that e-commerce may be the only option in the foreseeable future for retail, and companies must be prepared.

Pankaj K Agarwal

“Banks with sizeable digital presence will be more valuable”

Dr Pankaj K Agarwal from Institute of Management Studies cautions that banks must be wary of frauds as they ramp up digital presence post-COVID-19.

Fisheries Subsidies

Fisheries subsidies: New zones of contention

A complete curb on fisheries subsidies may be daunting, but some cuts are definitely required to squeeze the overutilization of the marine resources.

RCEP

India & RCEP: New equations after COVID-19?

As India gains attractiveness for manufacturing post-COVID-19, RCEP nations are asking it to reconsider membership. Should India alter its position?

“COVID-19 may change choice & mode of delivery for banks”

Dr Vikas Srivastava, IIM Lucknow, opines that banks must prepare for new opportunities post-COVID-19, accompanied by behavioural changes in customers.

O2O and D2C may become preferred channels for retail

Rajat Wahi, Partner, Deloitte India, feels that omnichannel retail will be a reality post-lockdown, but marketers will need to be mindful of delivery costs.

Arindam Banerjee

Covid-19: Rejig product offerings for the “Brave New World”

Prof Arindam Banerjee advises firms to rejig product offerings for a transformed market post-COVID-19, that has at least somewhat moved back to basics.

Social Distancing

COVID-19: Socially distant workplace, enabled by technology

The private sector is coming up with innovative solutions that enable companies to restart work while maintaining employee safety in the COVID-19 era.

e-commerce

Adapting Marketing to the Changing Times

Prof Akshaya Vijaylakshmi, IIM Ahmedabad, explains why marketing must reorient towards winning consumer confidence & the 'prevention of losses' mindset.

Abhay_Singhal_tpci

Covid-19: Business leaders should show knowledge & empathy

Abhay Singhal, Founder, InMobi admits that Covid-19 taught him to expect the unexpected. He feels that companies must practice resilience in this period.

Venkatesh Shankar

Indian consumer brands have a golden opportunity

Dr Venkatesh Shankar, Mays Business School, asserts that brands should directly connect & engage with customers to create value in the COVID-19 crisis.

Nandu_Nandkishore_TPCI

Time for market leaders to build a legacy

Nandu Nandkishore, Professor, Indian School of Business, opines that companies must work towards the broader issues in the market and offer solutions.

Mr. S. Venkatachalam

“India has made inspiring progress in wind energy”

S. Venkatachalam, MD & CEO, Orient Green Power Ltd, believes that India has the capabilities to be the manufacturing hub for the global wind energy sector.

AI_TPCI

AI post-Covid-19: Have the goalposts shifted?

Already recognised as a game changer across global economies, AI has acquired a new significance across sectors in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ajay_Bakaya_TPCI

“Mid-market hotels will be better placed to reap recovery benefits”

Ajay Bakaya, MD, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts, admits that recovery for hospitality may be gradual, and hotels may need to explore new segments like pharma.

Hospitality

Hospitality in inhospitable terrain

Hospiitality is among the worst affected by the lockdown, but players can use this period to explore new levels of customer engagement and up their game.

Electricity tower

Era of uncertainty powered by Covid-19

The lockdown has led to a major drop in India's power consumption. As industrial demand will take time to revive, the sector would need sustained support.

Trade Goods

Silver lining for trade post-Covid-19

Amidst the rising threat of protectionism, global trade may also see a welcome transformation in value chains, e-commerce and digital facilitation.

Rupee

Rupee decline vs dollar: Should India be worried?

Capital outflows due to the Covid-19 pandemic have exerted pressure on the rupee, but India is relatively better prepared due to its strong forex position.

“Urbanization is integral to develop rural areas”

Prof Brajesh Jha, IEG, feels that growth of essential & need-based rural infrastructure and region-specific clusters can help boost rural development.

“Robots may be helpful to industry, only if used selectively”

Prof Anupam Basu, Director, NIT Durgapur, feels that robots can play a major role post-Covid-19, especially in mundane tasks and precarious environments.

“AI-driven changes will transform our work, workforce & workplace”

Rakesh Barik, Leader, Technology Consulting, Deloitte India, feels that post-COVID-19, AI and ML will become integral to overall business strategy.

Aviation-Manufacturing_TPCI

Aviation post-Covid-19: Wright brothers redux?

Aviation is not new to crisis, but Covid-19 presents an unprecedented challenge and disruptive opportunity for companies to rework on their flight manuals.

Gems & jewellery: Bracing for a new terrain

The COVID-19 pandemic has dampened demand in domestic and international markets, but Indian gems and jewellery players are positive of a swift revival.

Africa

Africa: Food immunity in the shadow of Covid-19

Africa must relax its import restrictions to allow countries like India to boost supply of food items amidst threats of a looming food security crisis.

Digital Healthcare

Digital technology: Key to a healthcare revolution

Investments in digital healthcare will help India stretch the capacity of its medical infrastructure and also explore a lucrative global market.

Oil

When oil becomes a buyer’s market

India may not gain much from low oil prices due to lower strategic oil reserves. But low prices will help improve current balance and soothe inflation.

AI

“Post-Covid-19, AI will promote 24×7 operations in factories”

Dr Sriparna Saha, IIT Patna, feels that rise of AI in a post-Covid world, can move humans out of monotonous jobs, but they need to learn to handle robots.

Migration

“Migration is not a very effective solution to alleviate poverty”

Prof CSC Sekhar, Institute for Economic Growth, supports a holistic approach to rural development over migration, by integrating farm & non-farm activities.

Rural-India_TPCI

“Rural industrialisation should complement agriculture”

Prof Arindam Banerjee suggests that food processing industries be developed under a cooperative model so that surpluses are invested back in rural areas.

Electric Vehicles

India Inc vs COVID-19: Local supply chains needs to be kept strong

Swapnil Jain, Co-founder & CTO, Ather Energy feels that in the currently uncertain geopolitical situation, relying on international sourcing can be risky.

Remote work

“Many IT service providers manage 85-90% staff work remotely”

D D Mishra, Sr Director Analyst, Gartner, opines that remote work can be a great motivator with the right tools, process, culture, metrics and mindset.

Lockdown_TPCI

Exiting the lockdown: Journey from life to livelihood

As the country looks forward to partial opening of the lockdown post-April 20, establishments & employees would need to adjust to a 'new normal' of working

SEZ_TPCI

SEZs in India: Need for policy review

Share of SEZs in India’s exports has increased by around 4 percentage points in a decade. This high degree of underutilisation must be addressed.

Textile_industry_tpci

Tangled web: The impact of coronavirus on Indian textile industry

The lockdown has killed business and return to normalcy spells new challenges for the textile sector. But India mustn't lose sight of the larger picture.

Remote Economy: Is it the next disruptive business innovation?

While India Inc tests the viability of remote economy in fire-fighting mode amid the Covid-19 lockdown, it is worth analysing if the trend is here to stay.

Furniture_TPCI

Furniture industry: A sunshine sector for India

India's furniture exports can benefit immensely from initiatives like cluster-based development, technical know-how, access to capital and value addition.

Remote_working_TPCI

Remote working: A double-edged sword!

Organisations need to carefully calibrate their approach to a 'remote working' strategy. If implemented properly it can be a win-win for all.

“Global rice prices could move upwards in coming months”

Nathi Ram Gupta, Chairman, AIREA, feels that rise in border closures, quarantines and market & trade disruptions could impact the global rice trade.

“Rural India has remained a provider of raw materials so far”

Dr. Ramappa K B, Institute for Social and Economic Change, feels that value addition must be shifted to rural India for holistic benefits to the economy.

“Appropriate decisions could lead to bi-directional rural-urban migration”

Prof Nilabja Ghosh stresses on investment in human development based on technology, geographical advantages & global market demand to boost rural economy.

“World trade will take some time to return to positive rates of growth”

Prof Amita Batra feels that the Covid-19 situation is truly unprecedented and will compel a rethink on the economic and trade roadmap across the world.

“Fixing the farm supply chain will reduce price spikes and crop wastage”

Jeevant Rampal, Asst. Professor, IIM Ahmedabad, supports measures to promote crop diversification and better alignment of farm produce with urban demand.

“India must strengthen technology-enabled farm value chains”

Kushankur Dey, Assistant Professor, IIM Lucknow, believes that technology infusion and integration with non-farm enterprises will boost rural farm GVA.

Back to basics: Compelling case for a rural economy

Strengthening rural economy would require a simultaneous focus on building industrial infrastructure and ensuring large scale human resource development.

“Manufacturing will play major role in the rural economy”

Dr Pramod Kumar Joshi, National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, feels that agriculture-driven industrialisation will be key to boosting rural incomes.

WTO’s peace clause: Key weapon for India’s rice trade

India can invoke the peace clause under WTO to enhance support to its farmers. This will also help boost its rice exports and address global shortages.

Lessons from Chanakya Niti To Fight Covid-19

India's efforts to control the Covid-19 pandemic and proactively support nations in need of supplies are in the spirit of Chanakya's timeless principles.

Protecting MSMEs from the Covid-19 catastrophe

Measures are necessary to provide security to owners and workers of MSMEs, while planning a phased return to business that doesn't compromise on health.

“India is well poised to lead the curve on shared economy!”

Prof. D. Tripati Rao, IIM Lucknow feels that India can harness demography, growing market & sizeable middle class to leverage the shared economy.

Will Covid-19 also quarantine global trade?

Covid-19 will severely depress the global trade scenario in the coming year due to severe supply disruptions, reduced demand and constrained mobility

Covid-19: Not your usual financial calamity

A pandemic crisis like Covid-19 presents more perplexing economic challenges compared to financial crises, where the approach and solution are familiar.

Sustainable development: Making ‘green industry’ a living reality

Private firms are already contributing to India’s Sustainable Development Goals; but they need to scale up and make it part of ongoing business practice.

“Covid-19 lockdown will have limited impact on exports”

Prof. Manoj Pant, Director, IIFT, opines that lockdown impact will be limited, but recessionary issues preceding Covid-19 will continue to affect exports.

“Focus on sustainability, digital technology & domestic manufacturing”

Ujjwal Batria, COO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited, asserts that the Covid-19 pandemic will accelerate pace of digital adoption among Indian firms.

“Global audience is very receptive to Ayurveda as a concept”

Rasmika Bhatia, Director, Preserva Wellness, opines that stricter regulation and better understanding of its science will help promote Ayrurveda globally.

“Covid-19 crisis is a great opportunity to revive multilateral trade framework”

Prof. Pravakar Sahoo, Institute of Economic Growth, feels that given the gravity of the Covid-19 crisis, the world can least afford protectionist policies.

“Contingency planning should become a necessary business practice”

Anindya Dutta, MD & Co-Founder, Stanza Living, stresses on dedication to risk planning and management on an ongoing basis in a Covid-19 kind of situation.

Covid-19 crisis: Is it time to rethink long-term national economic strategy?

Covid-19 crisis is an opportunity for India to relook at its economic vision & citizens to question the impact of their choices on the economy & the planet.

Doctor or Economist? The unfathomable Covid-19 dilemma

While economic damage due to the lockdown is imminent, it is necessary considering India's current unpreparedness for critical Covid-19 cases.

Covid-19: Policy Soft-landing of Corporate Debt Explosion

To protect damage to livelihoods in the wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, containment of spiralling corporate debt should be on policy priority list. 

Product Profile: Hand Sanitizers

With Covid-19 cases surging, demand for sanitisers has risen rapidly. Indian companies can use this opportunity to boost production & exports.

Is Covid-19 an opportunity in adversity for the Indian economy?

While India's economy will take a beating, it may be better placed to handle Covid-19 compared to the developed countries and China.

Ayurveda in modern times: Back with a bang?

The science of Ayurveda has gained increasing popularity among Indians, but it must evolve to gain further credibility & traction across markets.

“India must start mass testing for Covid-19 with greater speed”

Dr. Parthajit Kayal feels that rapid action on Covid-19 testing & building a large network of labs & quarantine facilities across India are necessary.

“India should be able to absorb the Covid-19 shock within a year”

Dr. Arup Mitra, South Asian University, believes that being a mature economy, India may not face a deletirious effect of Covid-19 in the medium term.

“South Korea & Taiwan have learnt their lessons and tackled Covid-19 well”

Dr. Gangadharan S, Madras School of Economics, feels effective coordination and use of IT can help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 epidemic.

“Loss in GVA would be around 2% of GDP due to the Covid-19 lockdown”

Prof. Manoj Panda, RBI Chair Professor, Institute of Economic Growth argues why the current estimates about the GDP impact of Covid-19 are an overestimation

“We must avoid the overreaction during the 2008 economic crisis”

Prof Ashima Goyal, IGIDR, supports temporary Covid-19 economic relief measures to protect viable firms, while ensuring minimal moral hazard.

Economic Implications of lockdown in India in the Wake of Covid-19

Covid-19 led lockdown will seriously impact livelihoods of the poor, making it critical to keep supply chains for essential commodities running.

Technical Textiles: Weaving a new landscape

India holds promise in technical textiles, but it needs to promote high end manufacturing, standardisation and innovation to compete in the global market.

“Businesses could take a year to recover from losses due to COVID-19”

Dr Arpita Mukherjee, Professor, ICRIER, speaks on the economic impact of COVID-19, & how the health infrastructure should be primed for such events.

Helping aviation tide through the ‘Corona’ pocket

Exemption of ATF taxes & facilitating cargo-only flights could save aviation from Covid-19, and also keep supply lines open in this crucial period.

Covid 19: Three strikes for global economy

The novel-coronavirus is casting an unprecedented shadow of uncertainty across sectors and markets, leading to fears of a global economic recession.

Food safety in India: The inside out approach

After playing a key role in reducing export rejections, FSSAI's focus will now be on mapping domestic food classification with HS Codes.

Solar rooftops: Crossing over to the brighter side

India should create a conducive ecosystem for solar rooftops by  easing processes, favouring quality products, financial support, & educating consumers.

“India should launch its own innovations for cost effectiveness in solar energy”

Gaurav Aggarwal, Vice Chairman, Sainik Industries feels Indian innovation can achieve cost effectiveness in solar energy, just like space aeronautics.

“Coronavirus gives India an opportunity to be solar rooftop manufacturing hub”

Amit Kumar, Senior Director, TERI, stresses on the need for active public engagement & sensitization to promote solar rooftops in India.

Artificial intelligence for real education

Artificial intelligence can prove to be a game changer for the education system, provided India works at an accelerated pace for its adoption.

Coronavirus & trade: Domino effect of black swan events?

The heightened global uncertainty due to the novel coronavirus could affect India's foreign trade to a much higher degree than current projections indicate.

“AYUSH Ministry made it mandatory for the medicines to have a GMP”

Dr. Sachith Shetty, CMO, Ayush - South Delhi Municipal Corporation, elaborates how India is working to ensure wider global acceptance of Ayurveda.

Country Profile – Indonesia

Even as India has walked out of RCEP, planned CECA negotiations with Indonesia could help address untapped opportunities in bilateral trade.

Oil prices: The Kingdom pushes for market dominance

Besides grabbing market share, Saudi Arabia's reduction of oil prices is a litmus test for its economy, as it moves towards lower oil dependence.

“Indian SMEs are mature enough for organic growth in Europe”

Ms. Aparajita Sen, Inward Investment Manager, AD Normandie, discusses various lucrative opportunities for Indian businesses in Normandy, France.

“US tech industry is advocating for HIB Visa flexibility”

Partha Iyengar, Country Manager Research (India), Gartner, elaborates why India will remain a preferred choice for the global IT industry.

Co-living: Ray of hope in the urban sprawl

Co-living spaces provide a viable solution to the menace of space scarcity in India's urban centres, while proving lucrative avenues to property owners.

FDI in India: Below the tip of the iceberg

India's FDI surge has boosted exports, but a concerted effort is necessary to ensure that investment benefits more sectors and states of the economy.

Digital lending: Shot in the arm for MSMEs?

Digital lending can play a pivotal role for Indian SMEs, but players must ensure a robust data security, risk identification & mitigation framework.

Product Profile: Helicopters

India's aggressive efforts to boost indigenisation in the defence sector are expected to propel exports of helicopters from the country.

“Slowdown will accelerate the rise of sharing economy”

New York University Prof. Arun Sundararajan talks to TPCI about the drivers of sharing economy in India and how the slowdown can be an opportunity.

Brexit: A Pandora’s Box for the Indian IT sector?

Brexit provides greater growth avenues for the Indian IT sector, but the transition period also promises a number of challenges.

Currency Depreciation: No one size fits all

Econometric analysis shows a more positive correlation between currency depreciation & balance of trade for developed nations vis-a-vis developing ones.

“Automation has added more jobs for the Indian IT-BPM sector”

Keshav Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS & Chairman, NASSCOM, discusses how India's IT-BPM industry is tackling growth challenges & fast changing technology trends.

In service of food security

Supporting a dynamic and competitive services sector can contribute greatly to the overall health of the agriculture sector and boost food security.

“AR is creating awareness in distant areas”

Dr. Niranjan Naik, Director of Breast & Gastro-Intestinal Onco-Surgery at Fortis Memorial Research Institute (FMRI), Gurgaon, tells TPCI about various AR applications like AccuVein, Hololens & Google Glass which are proving to be quite beneficial for the health sector.

US-India: An improperly ‘developed’ judgement

An arbitrary & poorly thought out mechanism by US to declare India a developed nation is not a healthy sign for the weakening multilateral framework.

Sizing up the next wave of conglomerates

Emerging market conglomerates must strengthen themselves amidst rising competition, technology disruption & a growing clamour against their very existence.

“At this stage, India is not ready for a trade deal with US”

Dr Arpita Mukherjee, Professor, ICRIER, speaks on the fallout of the US according developed country status to India and the prospects of the trade deal.

Coronavirus & face masks: Learning the right lessons

The surge in demand of face masks due to the coronavirus scare exposes a dire shortage of supply, which should be a wake up call to the Indian industry.

INDIAN PHARMA INDUSTRY

API dependence: Indian pharma’s health hazard

The Indian pharma industry needs to be encouraged to scale up production of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and reduce import dependence.

Sakthivel Selvaraj

“If the Coronavirus situation prolongs, API supplies will begin drying up”

Dr. Sakthivel Selvaraj feels that India should enhance the capacity of its public sector to reduce its dependence on imported APIs.

Coronavirus & food trade: Will an Indian recipe do the trick?

Can India's food sector step up to address supply disruptions due to the coronavirus epidemic in China? TPCI's research team presents a holistic analysis.

Digital tax: Plugging the loopholes

India needs to look beyond the concept of PE, redefine the principle of profit attribution & push for multilateral action in its digital tax laws.

WTO Ministerial 2020: Just another lost battle?

With battle lines deepening between developed and developing nations on a range of issues, can MC12 overcome past failures and lend direction to the WTO?

Product Profile – Ceramic Tiles

The ceramic tiles industry looks promising in India, with a resurgent domestic market and yet untapped potential in developed countries.

“If we can’t make AR-based applications interesting, people won’t be inclined to use it”

Dr. Debi Prosad Dogra, Assistant Professor, IIT Bhubhaneshwar, talks to TPCI about the applications of augmented reality in Indian healthcare sector.

“Trade shows help exporters capture market demand and standards”

Dr Pralok Gupta, Associate Professor, Centre for WTO Studies, IIFT, discusses ways to improve India’s farm exports in this interaction with TPCI.

Heritage Tourism: Recapturing a missed opportunity

India must examine why it still lags in tourism revenue despite a rich repertoire of heritage sites and greater cost competitiveness compared to peers.

Novel Coronavirus: Deciphering a global epidemic

The extent of impact of the novel coronavirus is hard to decipher, so both policy makers and industry must ensure they have contingency measures in place.

Auto Expo: Will the ‘electric vehicle undercurrent’ go mainstream?

The government should leverage India's advantages and encourage more companies to undertake and expand their R&D operations for electric vehicles in India.

Budget 2020: Pushing the growth levers

Budget 2020 rightly focuses on accelerating momentum in the key pillars of the economy including farmers, MSMEs, manufacturing and infrastructure.

Idiot box eclipsed by smart screens?

TV sales fell for the first time in 2019, which necessitates measures to revive demand growth and counter the rising preference towards smartphones and OTT.

“We can offer self-compliance as an economic rationale for food businesses”

Rita Teaotia, Chairperson, FSSAI, talks to TPCI about how the body is handling the complex challenge of ensuring food safety in India.

Global trade for the new decade

It is important to strengthen the architecture of the rules-based global trading system so that it can serve the world for many years to come.

Lithium Batery

Product Profile: Lithium Ion Batteries

Pollution concerns, EV adoption, rising income-levels and demand for quality & uninterrupted power are catalysing growth of Lithium ion batteries in India.

Budget 2020: Fiscal Deficit is No. 2, Growth Revival is No. 1

The number one challenge in the Budget is to attain a higher & sustained growth, more so when the cyclical downturn is showing structural symptoms.

Indian PSEs: Temples of the Digital Age

PSEs should strive for global competitiveness in their strategic outlook and ensure digital transformation to stay relevant in the present milieu.

Country Profile – Australia

India could adopt a BOT approach in its negotiations with Australia, which will help boost competitiveness in dairy, wine, meat and processed agro sectors,

Trade agreements and India: Way Forward

Past experience reveals that India's relative gain in manufactured product exports is less than the partner country for trade agreements.

Marine exports will likely remain flat over the coming two years

Pushkar Mukhewar opines that India must work on negotiating easier import restrictions, standards and product diversification to improve marine exports.

Healthy route to sustainable rice trade

Adopting a holistically GI-friendly ecosystem should be a key priority of policy makers, especially in rice exporting economies.

F&B exports: Meeting global expectations

Indian F&B exporters must ensure good agricultural and labelling practices and proper branding to mainstream their products in target markets.

“We need to build capability and capacity in domestic production”

Gaurav Agarwal, MD, IITPL feels that instead of attracting foreign players, government must facilitate domestic production of medical devices.

Product Profile: Ice Cream

India's ice cream market is projected to witness a CAGR of 18% by 2023, with rising disposable incomes, changing lifestyle & entry of international players.

India’s merchandise exports: Time to get bigger and bolder

India has immense potential to diversify exports by concentrating on value addition in sectors closely related to its current capabilities.

Bound by a strong historical connect

India should enhance exports of commodities like medicaments, rice, insecticides, vehicles, footwear & nuts to address its trade deficit with Belarus.

Beyond Prime Time: Era of digital enthusiasts

As consumption patterns shift to OTT, traditional media companies will need to build marketing muscle around customer acquisition, engagement & retention.

Global trade in 2020: Continued headwinds, new momentum

Global trade is expected to face strong headwinds in 2020, but new technologies could lessen costs & enable more efficient flows of goods & services.

Keeping India’s promise intact

Stability in tax laws, transparent dispute settlement & improvement in contract enforcement will boost India’s attractiveness for FDI.

Product Profile: Ginger

Higher returns are prompting farmers to substitute maize, cotton and tobacco with ginger. But the focus should also be on competing in the export market.

Basmati Rice & Pesticides: Where does the fault lie?

Focus should be enlarged to include the ‘judicious use of pesticide and fertiliser’ in order to reverse the decline in Basmati Rice exports from India.

Country Profile: Japan

Japan's interest in India is high due to its huge market and human resources, making the latter a highly preferred destination for manufacturing.

WTO Appellate Body: From Birth to Death to What’s next?

Since the WTO Appellate Body is rendered dysfunctional, it will be hard for smaller countries to hold larger countries accountable to trade obligations.

Higher Education: Reviving a forgotten legacy

India must improve the quality of higher education, boost infrastructure, improve the R&D ecosystem and promote its brand to make Study in India a success.

Indian medical devices companies need a level playing field

Rajiv Nath, Founder & Forum Coordinator, AiMeD, feels there is a need to conserve medical devices sector with a predictive nominal tariff protection policy.

Feedforward effects of a robust startup ecosystem are tremendous

Deep Kalra, Founder & Group CEO, MakeMyTrip, feels that Indian startups have driven economies of scale, standardisation & bottomline growth.

Medical devices: Riding the wave of change

Reducing import dependency and becoming competent enough to manufacture equipment indigenously will be instrumental in boosting India's medical devices sector.

Breaking the complex juggernaut of the cashew sector

Harnessing the difference in harvest seasons for India and Africa can address concerns of both cashew processors and growers in India.

India’s economy requires more ‘hands-on’ startups

Dr Vivek Suneja, Professor at FMS feels that it is critical for Indian startups to focus on real economy issues particularly for services and agriculture.

“Slowdown may not last beyond 2-3 quarters”

Dr. Amit Kapoor, Chair, Institute for Competitiveness feels the slowdown is temporary & consumption will remain an integral part of India’s growth story.

Agriculture trade: Slip between farmer & market

Good transport and marketing systems will promote best possible returns to farmers and improve India's agriculture exports in key markets.

Why should there be Googles, when we celebrate Infosys?

Prof Anand Nandkumar, Research Director, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Indian School of Business, lauds the innovation capabilities of Indian

Automobile sector: Looking ahead to 2020

Slowdown in demand & production of automobiles in India is expected to be temporary, and the sector is projected to pick up with improvement in the economy.

Product Profile: Cardamom

Applications in processed food & cosmetics and volatility in production patterns of Guatemala provide increased opportunities for Indian cardamom exporters.

MSMEs need protection from foreign players

Samir V Limaye, President, IPMMI, feels that India needs to monitor import of packaging equipment from countries with which we have an MFN treaty.

Are trade shows relevant in the digital era?

Despite the growing role of digital marketing, trade shows are still of great importance, as they definitely give your business an edge over competition.

Competitiveness by strategic design

India needs to adopt a strategic approach to boosting the competitiveness of its manufacturing sector, which will hold it in better stead for future FTAs.

“India needs to work on factor market reforms”

Prof D Tripati Rao, IIM Lucknow, believes that speed of execution and implementation of policy reforms are crucial to the success of 'Make in India'.

Country Profile: Afghanistan

India should help Afghanistan get stability and develop its transportation, logistics, technology & human capital, so that it can be an equal partner.

Cluster approach to textile sector

Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks targets industrial clusters with high growth potential for strategic interventions by way of infrastructure support.

Battling India’s growth recession

RBI cutting rates may help tackle the economic slowdown. But the government has to support this by adopting a Keynesian approach.

Technology, the fuel for employment

To tap the abounding opportunities that futuristic technologies offer, India needs a clear roadmap towards skilling its workforce & making them employable.

Product Profile – Bicycles

Rising traffic congestion & shortage of parking space are driving growth in bicycles, but lack of the infrastructure in developing nations is a barrier.

Is domestic value addition the key to GVCs?

India should aim to grow the share of foreign value-added exports. Domestic value addition may reflect a fallacy in terms of participation under GVC.

Diaspora can get us closer to India

Stephen Manallack, Chairman, Genesis India-Australia Horticulture Project, deliberates on major avenues of Australia-India collaboration.

Healthcare sector must employ self-regulation

Dr Pralok Gupta, Ass. Professor, IIFT feels that India has competitive advantages in both Mode 1 and Mode 2, which it needs to effectively leverage.   

India-EU FTA: Still a work in progress?

Consensus on India-EU FTA may be tough, considering the presence of tough issues like investment, e-commerce, IP and data protection apart from tariffs.

Country Profile – Vietnam

Broadly the trade basket between India and Vietnam is complimentary and there is immense scope for escalating bilateral trade in merchandise and services.

Medical tourism: India’s quest for exclusivity

India should build a national brand for its medical tourism services, step up on international accreditation and adopt a focussed product-market approach.

“India needs more preparedness”

Prof Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, RIS, feels that India must reassess its approach to RTAs as well as the specific fears of domestic industry.

Policy prescriptions for cashew economy

India's cashew farmers aren't getting a fair remuneration. To help them, India must relook at its import policy and also adopt farmer-friendly measures.

Logistics: Key to India’s economic success

Critical improvements in India's logistics sector are contingent on a holistic approach towards infrastructure gaps, skill development & technology adoption

“India-China trade deal could be a stepping stone”

Prof Manoj Pant, Director, IIFT, feels that India must explore RTAs, as they will allow gradual adjustment to competition in a multilateral set up.

India’s endless struggle for crude oil security

India's struggle for crude oil will continue for a longer period. Diversification of crude sourcing can mitigate risk of concentrated market power.

Product Profile: Farm Tractors

Indian tractors are more economical and well equipped with digital dashboards, attractive designs and modern technology necessary to meet market demands.

Services trade: The unresolved dilemma of Mode 4

A strong, commercially meaningful outcome in mode 4 will have huge potential benefits for services trade. But for now, it remains a contentious issue.

Labour’s share in national income continues to fall

Labour's share in national incomes has been falling across borders and India is no exception. This needs to be addressed through coordinated policy action.

“Coastal shipping is still an under-exploited opportunity”

Dr G. Raghuram, Director, IIM Bangalore, elaborates on how logistics in India can be a stepping stone for development of its trade with other countries.

India as a Health-tech Hub: Opportunities and Constraints

It is time for India to replicate its success stories in software development and medical value tourism in the health-tech sector.  

“Not to ban plastic, but to plan!”

Padma Shri Awardee, Dr. R. Vasudevan feels that banning plastic may not be a good idea. Rather, efforts should be towards changing attitudes.

Country Profile: Angola

Energy is at the heart of the India-Angola partnership, since the country is emerging as the second largest African oil supplier to India, after Nigeria.

RCEP Impasse: Are Indian businesses necessarily to blame?

Inda's businesses can't be blamed for being biased towards the domestic market. But we can't stay on the sidelines of mega trading blocs like RCEP for long.

Ensuring food is safe – the EU way

An extensive body of laws covers the entire food value chain in EU. In all its diversity, the EU is a single entity when it comes to safe food.

Assam tea industry faces economic crisis

Assam tea industry is on the verge of a crisis that would be a big setback to India's agricultural economy. The problem calls for a multi-pronged solution.

Product Profile: Milk Powder

India needs to push quality milk powder, which has huge demand in developed nations. Collaborations with New Zealand, EU and US will play a vital role.

“The issue lies in management of plastics and not in the plastics themselves”

TERI’s Sourabh Manuja argues that the proposed ban on single-use plastics will not have a negative impact on the Indian economy.

Demystifying India’s hunger problem

Despite being a leading producer and exporter of food products, India still ranks abysmally low on the Global Hunger Index. Where does the chasm really lie?

Country Profile: Canada

Canada and India have longstanding bilateral relations built upon shared traditions of democracy, pluralism and strong interpersonal connections.

“Corporate sector may enable linking of producers with dairy farmers.”

Dr. Rakesh Singh debunks the view that bringing the dairy sector into the ambit of RCEP negotiations will necessarily be disastrous for India.

“Indian exporters are quite organised and competitive”

Ashwani Gupta, Director, Vividh Metaltech, feels that while Indian stainless steel companies are competitive, NTBs in EU & US are a big challenge.

Trade Inequality: Need for meeting of the minds

Reducing global trade inequality requires greater coherence among nations to benefit from synergies among policies that often operate in isolation.

Groundnut exports: Dilemma of plenty

Indian exporters must strengthen compliance for groundnut exports. But India also needs to take a firm stand on the arbitrariness of standards applied.

US-China trade war: Has India missed the bus?

To attract FDI opportunities exiting China, India must select potential sectors & provide a facilitating environment, taking cognizance of their needs.

Plastic ban: Delaying the inevitable

The Indian plastics industry needs to move towards innovative, environment-friendly solutions, as the global war on plastics rapidly goes mainstream

“We should advertise the health benefits of quality spices”

Rajat Luthra, Director, Unique Fragrances shares his thoughts on how India can leverage its positioning as the one-stop shop for spices globally.

Geographical Indications: A necessary trade tool for India

India should aggressively push for registration of geographical indications to boost exports for products like Mizo Chilli, Goa Feni and Alphonso Mangoes.

Product Profile: Food Colouring Agents

The global market of food colouring agents is projected to reach US$ 3.2 bn by 2023. India can tap this opportunity by aligning standards with key markets.

Global trade post-Lehman: New horizons amidst legacy pains

The post-Lehman era has seen tepid global trade growth, increased protectionism, but also a decisive shift to emerging markets and new success stories.

Frozen French Fries: Case of the abnormal dip!

Frozen French fries market trends show that India has significant opportunity to enhance exports provided production & standards are aligned with demand.

RCEP & the conundrum of Indian dairy industry

Seeing India's self sufficiency in the dairy industry and the associated livelihoods, the government should consider keeping it outside the ambit of RCEP.

WTO and the war against export subsidies

Export subsidies are adopted by developed and developed nations. They distort market dynamics for both exporting and importing countries.

Country Profile: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is working towards transforming its economy in a post-oil age, which opens up numerous opportunities for collaboration with India.

Plastic Industry: Victimized by the war on SUPs?

Public policy should encourage the plastic industry to produce reusable designs and educate people on the importance of reuse.

Packed Water Bottles

Bottled water demand is growing due to propensity for quality drinking water, fear of diseases from polluted water, and ease of portability & convenience.

Small Farms and India’s Agriculture Export Policy

Without the involvement of 85 million small and marginal famers in export business, India’s agriculture export policy will not be successful.

Evergreening of trade policy

The effect of trade liberalisation on a country’s overall development depends on how it maintains a balance between trade policy and environment

12 much needed transformations that National Logistics Policy will unfold

The National Logistics Policy will enable the creation of a single point of reference for all logistics and trade facilitation matters in India.

Economic slowdown: Breaking the vicious cycle

While the measures announced so far could boost supply, India still suffers from a tenacious sluggishness in consumer demand.

ICT import duties: Keeping India’s house in order

Beyond short term measures like ICT import duties to protect its nascent electronics industry, India needs to build competence across the value chain.

Services trade restrictiveness: Greater objectivity means better decisions

India is rightly framing its own methodology to measure services trade restrictiveness and needs to drive a hard bargain on this matter in trade agreements.

Country Profile: Italy

India and Italy are jointly working in infrastructure, tourism, railways, food processing, renewable energy, information technology and agriculture.

Cotton yarn exports: Spinning out of control?

India’s cotton yarn exports have plunged 35% in the first quarter of FY’20. The industry is in need of policy support and new direction.

Ocean Economy & Maritime Trade: Exploring possibilities

Achieving India's blue economy aspirations will need extensive cooperation between stakeholders, including private sector, scientific communities & NGOs.

“Intra-sector competition has given rise to a large number of NPAs”

Mr. Vijay Setia, President, AIREA, talks about how the Indian rice industry is placed on the global landscape and various growth challenges it faces.

India-ASEAN FTA: Ironing out the flaws

The review of the India-ASEAN FTA should focus on addressing industry concerns and ensuring a win-win without resorting to overtly protectionist measures.

Product Profile: Saffron

India has the opportunity to develop a nationwide brand of saffron, especially due to expectations of a steep increase in demand in the coming years.

India’s foreign trade: Need for speed & sustainability

While the export stimulus is welcome to boost growth, structural measures are necessary to ensure sustainable growth in India's foreign trade.

Global Agricultural Prices: Can history repeat itself?

Supporting agriculture and giving subsidies may further depress prices and export volatility to world markets at the expense of smaller countries.

Country Profile: France

India & France have shared strategic interests with growing cooperation in areas like renewable & nuclear energy, defence cooperation and cyber security.

Bananas: Keeping the dreaded TR4 disease at bay

With its rich portfolio of banana varieties, India can take the lead in developing new, disease-resistant cultivars to combat the TR4 menace.

Indian leather exports: Can the industry keep its best foot forward?

Capacity building, leather zone cluster, connecting to global value chains and impetus to innovation & brand building can boost value added leather exports.

“War between US & China is a technological one”

Dr. Arpita Mukherjee, Professor, ICRIER, talks about the dynamics of the US-China trade war, and how India should negotiate its interests at the WTO.

Product Profile: Coal

Allowing 100% automatic FDI in coal mining can help substitute imports, but business challenges could negatively impact investor sentiment.

Indian economic slowdown: How to reinvigorate consumer sentiment

Weak consumption has been cited as a major factor behind the Indian economic slowdown. Policy measures must address declining wage growth and poor demand.

Indian food processing: Roadmap towards value addition

India’s share of high value and value-added agri exports is quite low. It is imperative to build a robust food processing infrastructure across the country.

Raising the bar for India’s marine exports

India’s marine sector faces critical gaps in the supply chain, which has a detrimental impact on value-added marine exports.

“Trade and FDI are complimentary”

Professor Manoj Pant, Director, IIFT, shares his insights on the highlights of Foreign Trade Policy, 2015-20 and the future roadmap to propel India's trade

India-Chile PTA: An opportunity to raise the stakes

Under expansion of India-Chile PTA, Chile would want more and higher concessions, while India can look to expand the ambit to cover services trade.

India & RTAs: Learning the right lessons from history

India’s trade with major partners in RTAs shows that it has been experiencing a trade deficit on an aggregate basis, which has increased post-2013.

Palm oil: Why India is on slippery ground

The government has addressed the duty issue on refined palm oil from Malaysia, but managing India's trade deficit in the product will be much tougher.

“Exporters must learn from grape & rice industries”

Azhar Tambuwala, Director - Marketing, Sahyadri Farms, speaks about how the FPO works towards making agriculture lucrative for India's farmers.

Agritech startups: Will they prove game changers for Indian agriculture?

Agritech startups can play a catalytic role in value creation across the agri chain, but they need the right support to develop India-specific solutions.

“India needs to tap EU to increase its honey exports”

Arshdeep Singh, MD, Allied Natural Product, talks about how Indian players need to align to enhance their competitiveness in honey and penetrate new markets

India-Egypt trade: Time for a little nudge

Significant potential exists for enhancing India’s exports to Egypt in products like medicines, motor vehicles, cellular phones and bovine meat.

Yuan devaluation: Will China fall victim to its own manoeuvre?

Depreciation in the yuan will make Chinese exports competitive, but add to the hardships for its consumers and enterprises.

India_tourism_TPCI

Tourism: Chasm between ‘Incredible’ and ‘Credible’ India

A lot of work needs to be done in terms of infrastructure, safety & security and health & hygiene to boost India's tourism sector.

Product Profile: Diamonds

India is the leader in the global processed diamond industry. US, Hong Kong and India together account for over 50% of global diamond trade.

Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy

“Millennials will continue responding positively to electric vehicles”

In this exclusive interaction with TPCI, Ravneet Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy speaks about the future of EVs in India, the scope for their expansion, the challenges to their proliferation and so forth.

Country Profile: South Africa

Complementarities between South Africa and India provide scope for greater collaboration in sectors like food processing, deep mining, defence & fin-tech.

India-Global-Value-Chain-TPCI

Global Value Chains: Remedy for India’s slowdown blues

Participation in global value chains to drive exports is critical for India to emerge out of the current slowdown and achieve its long term ambitions.

Electric-Vehicles_TPCI

Electric vehicles: Is India missing the spark?

Soaring battery costs, high import dependence, lack of charging infrastructure & customer inertia.could hamper India's vision for electric vehicles.

Innovation in India: Missing pieces in a promising story

Despite a rich history, innovation in India is way below global benchmarks. A better industry-academia interface will help Indian firms compete globally.

India-Pakistan trade

India-Pakistan relations: Suspending trade a typically Pakistani self-goal

Pakistan's decision to suspend India-Pakistan trade relations is myopic. Given the quagmire facing its economy, Pakistan should be more pragmatic.

India can be a 100% EV nation by 2030

IIT Madras’ Professor Ashok Jhunjhunwala, shares his thoughts on the future of electric vehicles (EVs) in India and how they could be the next big thing.

Streamlining Food Trade through Technology and Data Analytics

Integration and sharing of information across agencies and ports of entry will go a long way in promoting ease of doing business in food trade.

Product profile: Canned tuna

India is neither a major consumer nor exporter of canned tuna. It can raise its global market share to 0.5% by addressing critical gaps in the value chain.

Non-basmati rice exports: In search of new direction

India's rice exports could hit a 7-year low in 2019-20. The government must consider alternate measures of support & help them penetrate new markets.

India-Australia CECA: Breaking the impasse

Agriculture is a major stumbling block in India-Australia CECA and now RCEP negotiations. India can consider conditional access with tech transfer.

Country Profile: Brazil

Brazil is signalling an openness to free trade of late, and it is an opportune time exploit complementarities and expand the India-MERCOSUR PTA..

“Tea should be put in negative list of RCEP”

Granting access to the tea market under RCEP will be disastrous for the Indian tea industry, especially due to weak growth potential in RCEP countries.  

“We need to focus on enhancing the yield of coffee”

Dr. Babu Reddy, Deputy Director, Coffee Board, talks about challenges faced by Indian coffee players, strategies to boost value exports and the future roadmap for the industry.

“We have built up our revenue on repeat orders”

Rohit Sareen, Director - Marketing at Sareen Impex Pvt Ltd. takes us through the journey of his successful entrepreneurial venture in rock salt.

Auto industry hits reverse gear

The auto industry saw one of its steepest declines in sales in Q2. Resolving policy uncertainty, boosting liquidity & tax sops will be key to a comeback.

BRICS: Can they block the unilateral wave?

A wave of protectionism is clearly visible in global trade as there have been series of sanctions and counter-sanctions. This issue is actually acting as a deterrent in practicing liberal trade.

Chinese economy: A miracle no more?

As the Chinese economic miracle appears to be fading, India must tread carefully to leverage the benefits and also avoid the pitfalls.

Product Profile: Pepper

India's pepper industry needs to urgently boost its competitiveness in the face of the fierce challenge from exporters like Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil.

Gems & Jewellery

Gems & jewellery: Exports losing their bling?

To improve India's gems & jewellery exports, there is an urgent need for large-scale skilling, besides a strategic reorientation towards new markets.

Cashew Industry

Cashew industry: Living in unpalatable times

Cashew industry faces many challenges - stiff competition, lack of liquidity & huge reliance on imports of raw nuts. New growth avenues need to be tapped.

“There is no appetite in the world for Mode 4 commitments”

Dr Pralok Gupta talks about the various facets associated with the services trade, different approaches to GATS commitments and more.

Food-safety-TPCI

Trade vs food safety: Where the twain shall meet

The Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (which is known as SPS Agreement of WTO) sets out the basic framework and standards

“Jewellery promotion needs to be enhanced”

India enjoys a great position in the global gems & jewellery segment, when it comes to the cutting & polishing of diamonds.

Country Profile: United Kingdom (UK)

The UK economy continues to face an uncertain future as far as its membership of the EU is concerned. Brexit remains a substantial drag on economic activities. A majority of forecasters anticipate risks to confidence

Agri-exports: In search of escape velocity

Even as agriculture remains a critical sector for the Indian economy employing 58% of its population, its economic contribution to India's GDP is steadily declining.

India-US solar dispute: What did India actually win?

In 2008, when India and US signed the landmark nuclear deal, their collaboration was lauded as the most strategic and definitive partnership of the 21st century.

Farm to Fork: Is agri-marketing the missing link?

India is a leading food producer, but agri-marketing reforms are essential to catapult the country to its rightful position in global agri-trade.

Union Budget 2019-20: New India drive amidst legacy pains

The Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman read out the Union Budget 2019-20 on July 5, 2019, amidst concerns of a slowing economy, weak investment cycle and uncertain external environment.

“Free trade hasn’t gone off completely”

We can’t say that free trade has gone off completely & it's going to be taken over by protectionism; because that is not workable in an interdependent world where almost all production is highly connected through value chains.

Product Profile: Power banks

Digitisation has made individuals reliant on a number of electronic gadgets for a comfortable, smooth and convenient life.

Trade protectionism: Can the juggernaut be stopped?

Backtracking from trade liberalisation is not a nascent phenomenon. While the US currently is leading on trade protectionism actions through tariff escalations, there are abundant evidences that it is pervasive across many countries.

Country Profile: Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the most liberal economies in the world, with a trade-GDP ratio averaging over 134% since 2010. Openness to trade and investment have been key in employment

Data & e-commerce: Protecting the gold of the 21st Century

India is rightly reluctant to protect its data - the most valuable resource of the century. Premature assent to e-commerce rules will not be sensible.

TPCI EU-Vietnam FTA

EU-Vietnam FTA: Rough road ahead?

In an era where ‘market access’ appears to have become a closely guarded national asset, ‘liberalisation’ is under siege,

G20: Keeping the spirit of free trade alive

The Thomas Friedman vision of the ‘flat world’ captured global imagination at the turn of this century. But just over a decade later,

Have India’s apparel exports bottomed out?

The Indian apparel industry has been through a tough phase with four successive years of weak growth/de-growth in exports.

H-1B – wrong bargaining chip for US?

Last week, another chapter on India-US trade hostilities threatened to unravel amid reports that US was planning to fire an H-1B salvo against India.

SOPA Chairman Visits TPCI

TPCI interacts exclusively with the Chairman, Soybean Processors Association of India (SOPA), Dr. Davish Jain

With Government’s resolve to double the income of farmers in the country by 2022, the role of agri-exports industry assumes significance to uplift financial conditions of the farmers and ensure renumerative return for farm produce.

Product Profile: Curcumin

The mounting demand of curcumin, a substance found in turmeric, in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries is a major factor driving the growth of the global curcumin market.

Logistics in India: From barrier to catalyst

With the rise of globalisation, the synergy of international trade and transport logistics has already become general direction and central theme of development for the global economy.

India-Ukraine: Exploring the upside of a trade agreement

The 4th Meeting of India-Ukraine Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation (IU-WGTEC), under the India-Ukraine Inter-Governmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Industrial and Cultural Cooperation was held in New Delhi in April, 2019.

Capital goods: Outperformer in India’s export basket

India’s export has increased from US$ 181.26 billion in 2008 to US$ 323.06 billion in 2018. During the past 10-15 years, India’s export basket has undergone several transformations.

Country Profile: Russia

Russia’s economy continues to surge at a decent pace, supported by global growth and an improved macro policy framework.

US & India are changing trade policies towards protectionism – Who is going to gain or lose?

The formation of WTO in 1994 was done based on the objective of moving towards a regime of trade liberalization, market access and free trade.

India, subsidies and WTO: Breaking the vicious cycle

India has been on the receiving end of a number of cases at the WTO, wherein other members have questioned its subsidy protection to specific industries.

TPCI_Bank_Customer

Rate cuts: Inadequate defence against macroeconomic distress

The recent cut in short term lending (repo rate) by RBI by 25 basis points is a soft signal to improve liquidity in Indian economy without compromising on inflation targets.

Indian mangoes deserve many more connoisseurs

India is a leading producer of mangoes, accounting for around 40% of global production of the fruit. The country is home to around 30 mango varieties that are grown commercially.

The API paradox of India’s pharmaceutical industry

The success of the Indian pharma industry primarily rode on the twin pillars of expertise in reverse engineering and the Patents Act of 1970. The Act allowed for only process patents with regard to inventions relating to drugs, medicines, food and chemicals.

Product Profile: Activated Carbon

The use of activated carbon to remove harmful impurities like organic contaminants from water has been practised since Roman times.

Impact of scrap use on energy efficiency of Indian steel industry

The metal scrap industry owes its genesis and growth to the essential fact that steel can be recycled infinitely without affecting its material properties.

US-India trade: Much more to review beyond GSP

The Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) assures non-reciprocal, duty-free tariff treatment on certain products imported into the US from designated beneficiary developing countries (BDCs).

“India needs to diversify its apparel basket”

While it is true that there has been an overall decline in India’s garment exports for the period April’19-February’19, apparel exports started picking up since October last year.

“Metals and capital goods should be kept out of FTAs”

Import duties are walls designed to protect interests of domestic manufacturers against stiff and unfair competition posed by the foreign manufacturers. However, near zero or zero import duty rates as provided to countries with whom FTAs have been signed have rather gone against the spirits of the FTAs and have hit India’s domestic industries – be it aluminium, steel or copper makers as well as capital goods manufactures.

Aluminium industry: Dying a slow death?

Aluminium, a non-renewable resource is of immense strategic importance to India, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. A number of sectors including power, automobiles, construction, packaging, industrial and consumer durables are dependent on this metal.

Indian pharma: Time to treat the ‘dragon’ deficit

The Indian pharmaceutical industry is the largest supplier of cost effective generic medicines to the developed world with 35.2% share of exports destined to US followed by 3.8% to UK & South Africa. But while Indian pharma players have successfully grabbed opportunities with off-patent drugs in US, they have been unable to crack the code for the second largest economy – China.

Cross border e-commerce: Don’t place the cart before the horse

E-commerce is truly changing the nature of business around the world. Global e-commerce sales grew by 13% in 2017 to reach US$ 29 trillion according to UNCTAD, with the number of shoppers at 1.3 billion. Notably, the share of internet buyers purchasing goods and services from overseas vendors increased from 15% in 2015 to 21% in 2017, taking cross border B2C sales to US$ 412 billion.

Country Profile: Thailand

Thailand has been one of the most spectacular economic success stories as it moved from lower income to upper income status in less than a generation. The 1980s in particular brought immense economic growth and reduction in poverty levels for the country.

Are Indian agricultural prices co-integrated with global prices?

The agricultural sector in India is progressively opening up to external trade, leading to interdependency between commodity prices across diverse markets.

India needs to enter global supply chains in apparel

India is blessed with a favourable demographic dividend and has a pool of resources at its disposal that can bolster India’s garment exports.

Targeted PTA with Iran can give India a major edge

Iran is located in Western Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf. The country is in a transition phase towards a market-driven economy.

Modi 2.0: Rebuilding the case for ‘Made-in-India’

During the past four-five years, India’s export performance has witnessed more of a seesaw trend. Merchandise exports were in continuous decline between 2013-14 and 2016-17,

Can India’s apparel sector restore the balance?

Indian textile exporters are quite bullish on the prospect of rising exports in the backdrop of the US-China trade war. For instance, the Synthetic & Rayon Export Promotion Council

Product Profile: Grapes

International trade of grapes has expanded rapidly over the last few decades, with out-of-season fresh produce now being traded and consumed globally.

Preparing Indian agriculture for the 21st century

Agriculture in the twenty-first century is reinventing itself as a new global business reshaped by globalization, standardization, high-value production, massive growth in demand (both for the food and the biofuel industries), retail and packaging innovations, and a ramp up in efficiency.

US-China Trade War: Mixed blessing for India

The last few days have witnessed an interesting turn of events in the trajectory of trade tensions between the world’s top two economies – US & China.

Graph Draft Dummy

Electronics exports: Positive signs, but many miles to go

India’s exports posted a strong growth of around 8% YoY in 2018-19 to reach US$ 535.45 billion. But after that stellar performance in the face of inimical global trade winds, the current financial year has started on a sobering note for Indian exporters.

Country Profile: Iran

Iran is located in Western Asia sharing border with the Caspian Sea, Oman and Persian Gulf. A unique feature of Iran's economy is the existence of large religious foundations called Bonyad, whose collective budgets represent more than 30% of central government expenditure.

Will Iran crude supply constraint impact India?

India’s vibrant democracy is currently deeply involved in the last leg of celebrating the biggest festival of exercising democratic rights through general election. During the election time, many important issues often take backstage, but not crude oil sourcing, pricing and its strategic implications.

India’s CPI inflation below target, but could get worse

The Indian economy witnessed an upsurge in consumer price index based inflation, which rose from 2.86% in March’19 to 2.92% in April’19, the maximum rise in the last six months.

An ASEAN sojourn for Indian aviation

Creation of an energetic and competitive services sector is fast becoming a key characteristic of modern economies. For more than two decades, advanced economies are frequently accounting for two-thirds or three-quarters of services as the overall economic activities of GDP.

WTO Ministerial, New Delhi: Vanishing North-South divide? Not quite there yet

Representatives of 22 developing and least developing countries including China, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh and the Caribbean are converging in New Delhi on May 13, 2019 for a 2-day WTO Ministerial Meeting to discuss and build consensus on a number of issues.

Product Profile: Food Emulsifiers

The urge to meet safety standards and quality of food, transportation from farm to plate and storage are major challenges faced by the developed world. To cater to this demand, food emulsifiers are popularly utilised by manufacturers.

Does a US-South Asia trade agreement provide India an impetus?

In the backdrop of a persistent trade war between US and India since 2017, both sides seem to have lost optimal trade gains that were expected under normal conditions. It has been a long held view that India needs to sign a trade agreement with the US in order to benefit from the trade liberalization process.

Is India’s e-commerce policy on the right track?

A potential conflict is brewing in the WTO on the issue of formalisation of rules for digital trade. India has placed on record its strong opposition to the proposed e-commerce rules submitted by EU on April 29 at the forum.

US-India: It takes two to tango

Amidst heightened trade tensions with India, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross came on a visit to India to attend the Trade Winds Indo-Pacific Forum. Trade Winds is the largest annual trade mission programme of the US Department of Commerce.

Renewable energy in India: Light at the end of the tunnel

After four years of brisk growth when it doubled its renewable energy capacity to 70 GW, India saw a relatively sluggish growth in terms of power capacity additions in 2018-19. The slowdown was actually visible in thermal power as well, but for an entirely different set of reasons.

Country Profile: Chile

Chile is one of the most advanced economies of the Latin American region. Its strong macroeconomic fundamentals have enabled an accelerated reduction in poverty levels from 30% in 2000 to 6.4% in 2017 (World Bank, percentage of people living on US$ 5.5/day).

Product Profile: Almonds

World almond consumption has burgeoned by 10% each year over the last five years and we are seeing significant development in demand across both developing and developed markets.

India needs to strategically pave its oil diplomacy route

India’s crude oil imports has always been a matter of discussion, even during the pre-liberalization period. The importance of oil as a trade commodity can be assessed from the oil shock of 1973, when members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) formed a cartel,

Pharma Wars: US government body puts India on the ‘Priority Watch List’

India’s pharma exports posted a strong growth of 11% YoY in 2018-19 to reach US$ 19.13 billion. This performance obscures a series of challenges faced by the industry – regulatory challenges, margin pressures, price control in Germany and Brexit.

Australia-India trade: Making amends for lost time

When we think of India-Australia trade relations, the most visible export from the land of kangaroos that comes to mind would obviously be top cricketers like Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson and Nathan Coulter-Nile, during the IPL season. But both sides would have reason to believe that there is much more to the exchange beyond curry, cricket and Commonwealth.

Canada – the new ‘Land of Liberty’?

With the US on an increasingly protectionist drive, H-1B visa processes are getting increasingly more complicated. Consequently, Indian IT professionals are now exploring a new destination – Canada – which is far more eager to accept them.

WTO: Growing dissent on India’s ICT duties

The case filed by the EU against India’s import duties on ICT products at the WTO has now acquired a whole new dimension. Five countries have asked permission from the dispute settlement body (DSB) to be a part of the negotiations – US, Canada, China Taipei, Thailand and Singapore.

US sanctions on Iran: Turm‘oil’ yet again for India

After walking out of the Iran nuclear deal last year, the US had announced a 180-day waiver to eight countries importing oil from Iran in November 2018, allowing them time to seek other sources of oil. Three countries have complied totally so far – Greece, Italy and Taiwan; leaving India, China, Turkey, Japan and South Korea.

US-Mexico-Canada Agreement: Why the world should take notice

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has released its analysis of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the replacement for the NAFTA agreement proposed by US President Donald Trump. It estimates that the deal will improve the US economy by 0.35% when completely implemented, i.e. an increase in the country’s GDP by US$ 68.2 billion.

India’s export performance: Bucking the trend

India’s total exports grew by 7.97% yoy to reach US$ 535.45 billion during FY 2018-19, according to data released by the Department of Commerce on April 15, 2019. In line with projections last month, merchandise exports grew by 9.06% yoy to reach an all-time high of US$ 331.02 billion during 2018-19, crossing the previous benchmark of US$ 314 billion achieved in 2013-14.

Rejuvenating the India coffee story

International coffee growers are in dire straits at present due to the dual impact of declining coffee prices and increasing labour costs. The International Coffee Organisation estimates that around 25 million farmers grow coffee in 60 countries, and over 90% of these are small growers and are currently compelled to sell their produce well below the cost of production. This has pushed several of them into deep debts, and some have even abandoned their farms to migrate to the cities.

Product Profile: Pasta

Pasta is an Italian dish which is common across the world owing to its expediency and health benefits. It can be prepared using an eclectic array of raw materials such as durum wheat, semolina, wheat flour, etc.

Country Profile – Mexico

Mexico is among the world's 15 largest economies and is the second largest economy in Latin America. The country is highly dependent on the United States, its largest trading partner and destination of 80% of its exports.

RCEP negotiations: Is India destined for a losing proposition?

The changing landscape of international trade negotiations has implied an emphasis towards mega trade agreements. This approach is seen as a stepping stone towards a global free market economy, with many countries expecting it to stimulate economic growth, boost trade and investment, reduce poverty and increase employment.

Complexities of SPS under WTO: An Outlook

The WTO agreements covers a wide range of issues related to trade, such as agriculture, textiles, services, food sanitation regulations and others; however, there are a number of simple and key principles that are included in the majority of agreements.

India’s apparel exports: Getting back to the drawing board

Apparel exporters are headed for difficult times ahead, due to a decline in demand from major markets. Although exports were showing promise in the beginning of the year, there is now a decline in both volume and value terms, according to a report by Drip Capital, which analyses macro trends and proprietary data of the top 100 apparel exporters which posted business of US$ 32 billion for the year till date.

Indian economy – Silver lining amidst dark clouds?

India’s GDP growth slowed down to 7% in FY 2018-19, as per preliminary official estimates, compared to 7.2% in FY 2016-17. Agriculture grew at 2.7%, its lowest rate in three years and the services sector clocked a growth of 7.4%, its lowest in 7 years. But growth in industry has been strong at 7.7% led by manufacturing (8.1%) and construction (8.9%), even as mining grew at a much lower 1.2%.

India refuses to hop on to e-commerce bandwagon

A group of 76 members led by US, China, European Union and Japan have decided to start negotiating a new framework on e-commerce rules. Although the group is open-ended, India has declined to be a part of the discussions. India has previously opined that WTO must complete the stalled Doha round before bringing new issues to the table.

WTO fisheries subsidies: India asks for differential treatment

India is planning to submit a draft paper to protect the rights of its small and artisanal fishermen to subsidies for boats, nets and fuel. In this paper, India will make the case for special and differential treatment to developing and least developed countries on the matter, so that they can retain some subsidies critical for protection of the livelihoods of their small-scale fishers.

Indian audio visual industry: All the world’s a stage

India is home to the largest, and arguably the most diverse media and entertainment industry in the world. The country produces the maximum number of hours of content across the world – 2,000 films, 800+ TV channels, 250+ radio stations, 10,000+ newspaper and magazine editions and thousands of live events. It has the world’s largest film industry, both in terms of tickets sold and number of films produced.

Country Profile – Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan spent most of the past 200 years as part of the Russian Empire, and then of the Soviet Union, before emerging as an independent state when Soviet rule ended in 1991.

Basmati rice: Time for cautious optimism?

India’s basmati rice exports are expected to reach a record high of Rs 30,000 crore in 2018-19, overcoming the previous peak of Rs 29,300 crore in 2013-14, according to a report by ICRA. Key factors driving the growth are strong demand from Iran, improvement in average realisations and consecutively increasing prices of paddy over the last three years.

Product Profile: Dried Fruit Powder

The global dried fruit powder market size is expected to reach US$ 23.96 billion by 2025 as a result of a positive outlook towards the nutraceutical industry. Consumers are continuously striving for the fulfilment of their nutritional intake through functional food and drinks.

Why India Hasn’t Signed a Single Trade Agreement in Last Five Years?

The proliferation of regional trade agreements has continued unabated since the early 1990s. In recent years, this has led to widespread debate on the advantages or disadvantages of regionalism over multilateralism. The debate stems from the increased use of regional trade agreements (RTAs)

US-India trade war? Look before you leap

India is planning to counter the US decision to withdraw GSP on its exports by imposing retaliatory tariffs from the coming month. If the Indian government goes ahead with retaliatory tariffs, twenty-nine items imported from the US, including

India’s sweeteners for the sugar industry unfair?

Guatemala has initiated a complaint against India at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Dispute Settlement Mechanism. In its complaint, the Central American nation has alleged that the sugar subsidies provided by India to its farmers are not in accordance with international trade regulations.

India-Africa – Partners in progress

During his address at the 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnership, Commerce Minister Shri Suresh Prabhu proposed that India and Africa should consider finalizing a free trade agreement (FTA) or a preferential trade agreement (PTA). He stated, “We have a common future. We do not want to do anything at the expense of Africa. We want you to get into an FTA (with India) that will benefit Africa first.”

Capital goods sector – Engineering the next phase of growth

India’s engineering exports have grown impressively over the years, but the sector needs to move beyond low- and medium-technology products.

Egypt – hub for a 2-billion consumer market opportunity

India and Egypt share a long and incredible history of bilateral ties that date back to ancient times. The edicts of Emperor Ashoka allude to his empire’s connections with Egypt under the reign of Ptolemy-II. In the more recent past, this association is reflected in the close relations and shared visions of Mahatma Gandhi and Saad Zaghoul; as well as Gamal Abdel Nasser and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Indo-China trade: Is the balance tilting?

India’s huge trade deficit with China has been a persistent area of concern over the years. In 2017-18, the trade deficit had reached a record high of US$ 63 billion.

India’s exports to set new record in 2018-19

During his address to global CEOs and trading partners at the eighth International Engineering Sourcing Show (IESS) Commerce Secretary Mr. Anup Wadhawan expressed confidence that India’s exports will reach a record high in 2018-19.

Egypt SEZs looking at Indian investment

An official delegation from Egypt, comprising of Government and privately owned SEZs in Egypt, is coming to India to seek investments from light and medium industries such as, but not limited to, automotive (auto parts, tyres and rubbers, automobile manufacturers), machinery (construction machinery & heavy trucks, agriculture & farm machinery, and industrial machinery), chemicals (industrial chemicals and household chemicals), packaging (paper packaging, metal and glass containers), food products (agriculture products, packaged foods and meats), building material (construction material) and electrical equipment (electronics & home appliances, and household products).

Product Profile – Yogurt

Worldwide sales for yogurt exports by country totalled US$2.4 billion in 2018. The overall value of yogurt exports increased by an average 3.8% for all exporting countries since 2013 when yogurt shipments were valued at $2.28 billion.

India to focus on developing Hydro Power Sector

India, a country blessed with natural resources and endowed with large hydro power potential of 1,45,320 MW of which only about 45,400 MW has been utilized so far, is poised to develop this huge potential further. The decision was taken recently at the Union Cabinet meeting that was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

India-Saudi Arabia JV in Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals given go-ahead

The Joint Venture between global majors such as Saudi Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) with Indian oil marketing companies – Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) for 50% stake each in Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals (RRPCL) has been given a go-ahead by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi Government hours before the election dates were announced by the Election Commission of India.

Countering Trump’s stand on India’s protectionist outlook

While justifying the withdrawal of GSP rates, the US President Trump pronounced recently that India is an economy which applies high and complex protectionist measures. In this article, we are analysing technically the real picture of Indian tariff and non-tariff structure of some significant products and comparing it with major developed and developing economies.

India in Penultimate stage of Finalizing E-commerce Policy

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) circulated the draft e-commerce policy couple of weeks back in which it proposed regulating cross-border data flows, locating computing facilities within the country to ensure job creation and setting up a dedicated data authority for issues related to sharing of community data. It asserted that the data generated in the country is a national asset and citizens and the government have a sovereign right over it.

As Indian Chemical industry grows leaps and bounds, experts opine need for sustainable and judicious growth

At a time when the world is moving towards more environmental friendly use of resources, and even production-focused countries like China have come up with great reforms in their chemical industry, India is debating how its rapid growth can be converted into responsible growth. Henceforth, “Sustainable and Safe Use of Chemicals and Petro-Chemicals: Environment/Health Care/Safety” was the subject of discussion in the day-long seminar organized by The Week magazine in New Delhi.

Country Profile – Egypt

Egypt is the 62nd largest export economy in the world and the 72nd most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2017, Egypt exported $30.1B and imported $64.1B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $34B. In 2017 the GDP of Egypt was $235B and its GDP per capita was $11.6k.

Country Profile – Belarus

Belarus is the 63rd largest export economy in the world and the 30th most complex economy, according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). In 2017, Belarus exported worth $28.5 bn and imported worth $33 bn, resulting in a negative trade balance of $4.42 bn.

Next step towards globalization of Bollywood

India’s entertainment sector has historically enjoyed a special appeal in CIS countries, especially Russia, as the Indian cinema once had good access to markets of the erstwhile Soviet Union.

Will Trump succumb to China in the tariff war?

A series of trade and geopolitical concerns continue to weigh on the markets in South East Asia, ranging from uncertainty around US-China trade to widening tensions between India and Pakistan.

Product Profile: Moringa Seeds

Moringa oleifera is indigenous to the sub-Himalayan regions of northern India and Pakistan. Moringa is the sole genus of the flowering plant Moringaceae and is indigenous to the Indian sub-continent.

WTO focusing to help least developed countries gain more from trade

The new 2019-2022 Strategic Plan introduced by Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) is designed to better position LDCs in the global economy at a time of growing concerns about trade.

Japan-EU inked the trade deal: Why India is waiting?

The EU and Japan are two highly developed economies that already have strong trade and investment links. In addition, Japan is an important strategic partner for the EU and a key ally in the Asia-Pacific region, standing already with second highest trade volume figures between the two.

Mega Food Parks to add value and reduce food wastage

With a view to grow agriculture sector exponentially, become a major contributor to doubling the farmer’s income and ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government a major success, the Government of India is working vigorously to boost the food processing industry. This is important so as to add value and reduce food wastage at each stage of the supply chain, which is a major source of concern.

Emerging markets leading global tourism growth

The world is fast becoming smaller and smaller with a rapid growth in global tourism. According to a UN World Tourism Organization report, international tourist arrivals increased by 6% in 2018, to 1.4 billion arrivals worldwide. Experts opine that there is a discernable trend visible in this rapid growth of world tourist arrivals. A sizeable portion of this growth has been driven by rising demand for travel destinations in emerging markets, with India and China leading the way.

Up close with MBS

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi broke the protocol yet again to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS). The Crown Prince too, in a welcome gesture, decided not to make his trip to India as a continuation of his trip to Pakistan but returned back to Riyadh only to travel to India the next day. This was India’s diplomatic win vis-a-vis Saudi Crown Prince with India ensuring that it was not hyphenated with Pakistan.

Foxnuts – Global prospects and opportunities

Makhana (Foxnut), also known as Gorgon Nut, grows in India, Korea, Japan and Russia. It comes from the lotus seeds. Foxnut (Makhana) can be mixed with vegetables, popped like corn and made into yummy porridge.

Time to ensure long-term sustainable use of our marine resources

The terms “Blue Economy” or “Blue Growth” are increasingly being used in day-to-day parlance, as many governments, organizations and communities in both developed and developing countries are being aware of the need for a more coherent, integrated, fair , and science-based approach to managing the economic development of oceans.

New Era of Food Standards for International Agricultural Trade

The world's shrinking supply of arable land and water, the growing use of agricultural feed stocks for industrial purposes, and technological advancements will continue to play a vital role in the ability of agricultural and food production to meet the world's growing food needs.

Country Profile-Malaysia

Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia. Its territory is separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions - Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo). It is part of the most successful regional grouping - ASEAN.

Burgeoning importance of Non-Tariff Barriers on Agricultural Trade

India has come a long way from being a food-deficit country at the time of Independence to a food surplus country. With its varied agro-climatic conditions and large production base for cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry and meat products, the country has become a leading exporter of fresh and processed food products.

Strategic decisions likely during Saudi Crown Prince’s bilateral talks with Indian Prime Minister

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman would perhaps be finalizing his wardrobe to board the Royal Saudi plane to New Delhi by the time you read this. The Crown Prince is coming on a two-day state visit to India on February 19, but he will also visit Pakistan during his to and fro visit to India and three other countries. This will be the first state visit of Prince Salman to India, who is also the Vice President of the Council of Ministers and Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia. Interestingly, Crown Prince’s visit is being followed by his new-found friend Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel.

Export Controls in India: Book Review

With special expertise on export controls and trade remedies because of her flourishing practice at DGS Associates, where she is the co-founder, Ms. Ameeta Verma Duggal excels in representing clients before the Directorate General Trade Remedies and the Director General Foreign Trade. Who else could have been a better person to come up with a voluminous book on the export control laws of India, which continue to evolve consequent to India signing the multilateral export control regimes in the recent past?

Chabahar port to be a key pillar of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy

Coming closely on the heels of the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, commemorated on a rain-soaked day in Tehran – Iran, India and Iran are set to observe the ‘Chabahar Day’ on February 26 at the strategic port located in Iran and administered by India.

Envisioning a new India

Vice President Mr. Venkaiah Naidu, Minister of Commerce & Industry Mr. Suresh Prabhu and Finance Minister Mr. Piyush Goyal are all talking in unison of a new India marching towards becoming a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025. Niti Aayog too has unveiled plans to make India a USD 5 trillion economy, but by 2030. In its much acclaimed “Strategy for New India at 75”, Niti Aayog has envisioned to accelerate growth to 8-9% and make the country a 5-trillion dollars economy by 2030. It hopes achieve this goal through focus on doubling of farmers’ income, boosting Make in India, upgrading the science, technology and innovation ecosystem, and promoting sunrise sectors like fintech and tourism.

US’s trade pressure on India unjustified

The United States, under President Trump’s regime, is mounting undue and unjustified pressure on India in its trade dealings through threats like withdrawal of trade benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). This is despite India taking several measures to demonstrate its intent to address Trump’s trade concerns. Irony is clear! The US has the highest trade deficit with China, which had forced it to put tariff barriers on imports from China. In 2017, the US trade deficit with China was US$566 billion. US’s trade deficit with India is at US$22 billion only. Yet, while the US President Donald Trump speaks admirably of Chinese President Xi Jinping saying that he has ‘great respect’ for his Chinese counterpart, he taunts India and has even mocked Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi when listing India’s development aid in Afghanistan. This is despite India’s unflinching efforts towards narrowing the trade deficit.

IndusFood 2020 to be bigger, grander, says TPCI Chairman

IndusFood has evolved! And how? Now into its second year, it is already a much sought after B2B event for leading global buyers of F&B products. This is evident from the list of about 800 distinguished wholesale buyers, big sized food chains and several government-level delegations that will be converging at Greater Noida seeking F&B commodities and products showcased by more than 500 exhibitors covering 15 product zones. From here, the event is bound to develop further in the years to come, asserts a very confident TPCI head.

Positive feedback starts rolling in post IndusFood

TPCI is inundated with letters of appreciation and feedback congratulating TPCI and its team on the handling of IndusFood. Several team members connected with various international buyers or Indian exhibitors have received letters and phone calls, congratulatory messages on their cellphones and promises of coming again for next year’s IndusFood, in 2020.

Technology to aid trade and commerce development

Dating back to ancient times, technology has played a crucial role in impacting factors of production. We have been witness to countless occasions in history when a slight technological advantage on opponents has enabled an army to inflict crushing defeat on its adversaries.

Ray of Hope for Indian Processed and Value-added Agricultural Exports

The union cabinet has approved the country's first Agriculture Export Policy with an aim to double farmers' income and agricultural export to $60 billion by 2022. One of the objectives of the policy include creating a stable trade policy regime through diversifying export basket and destinations and boosting high value and value-added agricultural exports with focus on perishables, so as to reach US$ 100 billion export target in the next few years.

Shuttering down America

President Trump has once again threatened that he is ready for another shutdown only a few days after 800,000 federal employees returned to work after a 35-day unpaid furlough.

Priority focus on GI products will help India reap good rewards

In a welcome move, which is sure to have long-term growth repercussions on the Geographical Indication products from India, Mr. Suresh Prabhu Minister of Commerce and Industries, Govt of India has announced that all the airports in the country will soon have ‘Geographical Indication Stores’ which will promote products unique to the region in which the airport is located.

Odisha striving to develop trade opportunities for its MSMEs through Trade Fairs

Odisha state government has recently been proactive in their attempt to develop trade opportunities for the businessmen through various means, including organizing trade fairs and participating in trade fairs.

Focus on developing business relations with India during South African President’s visit

South Africa has been in the thick of narratives in India at least from the time when Gandhi, as a young lawyer practicing in South Africa in the early years of 20th century, commenced a movement against apartheid in South Africa.

Revitalizing the SEZs

It was in April 2000 that the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) policy came into inception. Its prime objective was to enhance foreign investment and provide an internationally competitive and hassle free environment for exports. Subsequently, the Special Economic Zones Act, 2005 was passed by the Parliament and ratified by the President in mid 2005. On 10th February, 2006, the SEZ Act, 2005 came into effect, which was supported by SEZ rules.

FSSAI working to reduce industrially produced trans fat

Trans fat kills! Globally, trans fat intake leads to more than 500,000 deaths of people from cardiovascular diseases every year. India too accounts for a large number of deaths due to trans fats. Keeping this in mind, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken up an initiative to reduce or eliminate industrially produced trans fat in the food supply.

India’s Commerce & Industry Minister Announced Launch of IndusFood

Terming IndusFood-II as a major event, the Commerce & Industry minister said during a pre-launch announcement made in a Press Conference related to the grand event that IndusFood would greatly help both farmers and exporters of F&B products.

“Indian F&B sector’s growth has matched the growth of the country’s economy”: Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal

Other than being the world’s fastest-growing major economy, India also has one of the fastest growing food processing industries in the world, Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister of Food Processing Industries has said.

Robust processing infrastructure can help India curb the problem of food wastage

Robust processing infrastructure can also help India curb the problem of food wastage. This was the view of Union Minister of Food Processing Industries Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal who was addressing the press consequent to the inauguration of IndusFood at Greater Noida.

3 G2Gs, 1 G2B, 14 B2Bs, 1 Investor Meet, I Multilateral Dialogue and 10 MoUs speak of the grand success of IndusFood-II

IndusFood, the grand event that was signed off on the evening of January 15, 2019 was grand in every sense. Other than the 800 global buyers from 78 countries who conducted over 12500 B2Bs with about 500 Indian exhibitors, IndusFood was uniquely successful in several other ways.

“Events like IndusFood to help achieve $60 billion agricultural export target”: Sh. Santosh Sarangi

One of the major features and objectives of the Agriculture Export Policy is to double the agricultural export and position India as a major agricultural exporter in the world. By this policy, the Prime Minister has already done the groundwork for doubling farm income.

Country Profile: Israel

Israel is located in the Western Asia, close to Mediterranean Sea. It is a developed country with a very high HDI. The United Nations Development Programme ranks Israel 22nd in terms of Human Development Index with the value of 0.903. It is ranked 45th in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by World Bank released in 2018.

Trade Capacity Building and Sanitary and Phytosanitary Control

Agricultural and food markets are far more globally integrated than they were a decade ago. But many developing countries find it difficult to compete in the international agricultural marketplace, and seek trade-related technical assistance, especially to help them understand and respond to both government- and consumer-driven requirements of foreign markets, including sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures.

Organic Food certification

With rising health consciousness and change in lifestyle organic food has emerged as the biggest revolution and food trend. In general organic food is certified through a certification process since organic farming differs from the conventional farming in terms of the whole agricultural process from ploughing to sowing.

Are Regional Trade Agreements good for economy?

The proliferation of regional trade agreements has continued unabated since the early 1990s. In recent years, this has led to widespread debate on the advantages or disadvantages of regionalism over multilateralism. The debate stems from the increased use of regional trade agreements (RTAs) in a world now ruled by an improved and disciplined multilateral trading system.

Product Profile: Spices

India, contemporarily known as the home of spices, has a long trading history with ancient and medieval civilizations of the world. Ancient trade routes connected India with Europe, Middle East and the rest of the world exists as a testimony to world’s preference for Indian spices since ancient times.

Value added F&B products: The shift that India needs the most

Draft Agri export policy 2018 aims to increase India’s export from US$ 30 billion to US$ 60 billion by 2022. It is a commendable initiative since now the country has shifted its focus towards agricultural exports rather than just production and domestic consumption.

Country Profile- Vietnam

Vietnam is located in easternmost part of South Asian Continent. It is a developing country and is a member to the most successful regional economic group-ASEAN.

Product Profile : Indian Ethnic Food

As per the Draft Agriculture export policy 2018 by Ministry of Commerce and Industry Indian ethnic foods export is valued at USD 114 million currently. It has been projected to grow at USD 200 million in the next three years. India’s domestic market for Indian ethnic ready to eat and ready to cook too is growing very rapidly. Finally Indians are gradually moving to ready to eat ethos.

Agriculture to boost India’s trade surplus?

India’s agricultural trade surplus recorded a more than ten-fold increase between 1991-92 and 2013-14. Three years later, the picture is vastly different. Between 2013-14 and 2016-17, agricultural exports fell by 22% while imports increased by 62%. As a result, the trade surplus has fallen by 70%.

Food Safety Standards for Export Of Indian Livestock Products

On an average per year, average value of livestock products constitutes 6 % of Indian agricultural export earnings and 1% of total export earnings. Influx of foreign goods to the Indian market has raised some concern about the country’s livestock sector and dairy industry in the regime of WTO.

Safeguard duty on steel: India appeals against WTO’s panel ruling

India has challenged the WTO dispute panel's ruling that the country's move to impose safeguard duty on some iron and steel products was inconsistent with certain global trade norms India notified the WTO's dispute settlement body of its decision to appeal to the Appellate Body on certain issues of law and legal interpretations in the panel report

Bilateral trade with Maldives presently low but immense opportunities exist

Bilateral trade between India and Maldives is not much at present, standing at a mere USD 222.68 million with a surplus in favour of India. This rather modest trade does not bespeak of the good India-Maldives relations that exist, characterized by close friendship, understanding and cooperation.

MSME to take sustainable development initiatives till grass root level: Development Commissioner Mr. Ram Mohan Mishra

The Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) is poised to take its sustainable development initiatives till the grass root level, by empowering women even in remote villages through creating livelihood for them, tells Mr. Ram Mohan Mishra, Development Commissioner & Additional Secretary, MSME.

Analytical Study of India’s Agricultural Exports Policy 2018

India’s agri-export so far has been a story of untapped potential. India is second in global agricultural production, but its share of world agricultural exports is as low as 2%. Agricultural exports’ contribution to India’s GDP is also as low as 2%, lower than other developing agrarian country.

Is India’s widening trade deficit a reason for concern?

India’s trade deficit is rising! During the April-October period of the current fiscal, exports grew by 13.27% to $191 billion while imports jumped by 16.37% to $302.47 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $111.46 billion during the first seven months of the current fiscal. The deficit was $91.28 billion in April-October 2017-18. India’s Current Account Deficit (CAD) is seen at 2.8% of GDP this year against 1.9% last year.

“Indian businessmen should see Iraq themselves”

Iraq is the biggest consumer market in the Gulf region. India had a burgeoning trade going on with Iraq till 2002. This trade got affected when political condition changed in Iraq. Afraid and having security concerns, the Indian businessmen shunned the Iraqi market. It is now that the Indian business delegations have started going to Iraq and started participating in trade shows there.

Product Profile: Sweet biscuits

The word biscuit is derived from an old French word ‘bescuit’ which means "twice-cooked”. This is because biscuits were originally cooked in a twofold process: first baked, and then dried out in a slow oven.

Immediate steps needed to rejuvenate trade with Iraq

Political uncertainty, fear and security concerns, coupled with lack of direct sea and bank route, kept away the Indian businesses from Iraq since 2002. With the bilateral trade touching $19 billion between 2017-18, there are huge opportunities for Indian companies in various sectors including commodities, infrastructure and crude oil.

Why global value chains matter?

One of the most important impediments for developing countries is trade costs. Non-tariff trade costs in today’s world like freight, insurance, and other cross-border related fees which tend to be much larger than any remaining import tariffs as products travel through the various stages of production.

WTO members predilected towards trade restrictive measures

Restrictive trade measures including tariffs and import duties rose sharply over the past one year. This could threaten global economic growth, trade and jobs, according to the World Trade Organization.

World’s 3rd largest convention centre coming up in Delhi

Delhi’s Dwarka region will soon have a massive Convention Centre, which is going to be Asia’s 2nd largest state-of-the-art Convention Centre and the 3rd largest in the world being designed with an objective to handle international conferences, exhibitions and trade shows so as to host summits of the level of G20 Summit and other such mega International events in the country.

Country Profile- Russia

Russia is located in both Asia and Europe, it is a transcontinental country. Its major part lies in Asia. It is the world’s largest country in terms of area.

Central Asian and East European markets to get closer to India by new trade route via Iran and Russia

In order to enhance trade and connectivity, India, Russia and Iran are now planning to launch a new cargo transport corridor, which would be a cheaper and shorter alternative to the Suez Canal or the China route and is expected to reduce transport costs by $2500 per 15 tons of cargo, besides reducing the travel time by nearly half.

‘Agriculture Export Policy, 2018’ to harness export potential of Indian agriculture

Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Hon’ble Minister for Commerce and Industry has come out with the first ever policy for agriculture exports which removes export restrictions for organic, agro processed products and gives special preference to high value, value added, perishable products.

Emerging opportunities for Indian businessmen as TPCI organizes a successful BSM in 4 cities in Iraq

Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala and Erbil were the 4 destination points for Trade Promotion Council of India (TPCI) to hold BSM meetings of Indian company representatives with prominent buyers from Iraq. The event, executed by the Indian Embassy in Iraq, was also a confidence building exercise for Indian exporters, many of whom quit doing business with Iraq when the country went into turmoil post 2002.

India Plans to Discuss Duty Cuts with China: Are we moving beyond RCEP?

India plans to have bilateral discussions with China on duty cuts under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement.

Shaping Agri Export Policy: What Cabinet Can Discuss?

The Union Cabinet is likely to take up agriculture export policy in the first week of December. The proposed agriculture export policy aims at doubling outbound shipments of farm products and increasing their share in the world market, The Commerce Ministry having already finalized the policy and forwarded it for the consideration by the Government.

Product Profile- Organic Food Products

APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industry defines Organic products as “the products grown under a system of agriculture, without the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with an environmentally and socially responsible approach”.

Country Profile- Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is located in the Central Asia. It is the world’s largest landlocked country. The country is endowed with natural resources such as petroleum, gas, chromium, lead, zinc and uranium.

Reviving and revamping the Indian SEZs

India was one of the first Asian countries to recognize the effectiveness of the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) model in promoting exports, with Asia’s first EPZ set up in Kandla in 1965.

India-Viet Nam trade relations on surge

It was only in September 2018 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited Viet Nam. This has been followed by the visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Viet Nam from November 18-20, 2018. The Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations in January 2018 and only a few weeks later President Quang came on a visit to India.

Reforming WTO on the focus

Ministry of Commerce and Industry is in talks with the various countries associated with World Trade Organization (WTO) to work out the way forward for reforming the organization.

Global warming, if not contained, will threaten economic growth

Global temperatures are already up by about 1 degree Celcius (1.8 degree Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial level and are rising at a rate of 0.2 degree Celcius a decade.

“FSSAI is creating a regulatory environment for the food sector”

A convoy of vehicles including several cyclists starts moving from Leh in the Northern corner of Jammu & Kashmir and traverses amidst snow-fall and occasional incidents of firing and stone-pelting to reach the capital Srinagar.

Doubling India’s economy to USD 5 trillion

Aim is high but we are already on the course! India that was ranked 142 among 190 nations on the World Bank’s ease of doing business ranking in 2014 has climbed to 77th rank this year. And there seems no stopping! Prime Minister Narendra Modi has now set an ambitious target of India breaking into top 50 countries in the World Bank’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking and is aiming to nearly double the size of India’s economy to USD 5 trillion. According to him, this growth has been achieved because the policy paralysis has ended and his government was giving policy-based governance that has helped catapult the country from to the 77th position this year.

ASEAN countries to facilitate cross-border e-commerce transactions

Economic ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) entered into the grouping’s first ever agreement on e-commerce to facilitate cross-border e-commerce transactions within the region.

Developing trade with Iran amidst US sanctions

India has thousands of years of historic cultural and trade relations with Iran, several centuries before the Americas were discovered. Irony of economic circumstances necessitate India and the rest of the world to listen to the dictates of one country, whose President unilaterally decides to back out of an agreement his own predecessor had signed, after hectic parleys over the Iran nuclear deal.

The new Vietnamese Ambassador to India presents his credentials

Ambassador Pham Sanh Chau, the newly appointed Ambassador of Vietnam to India organized a lavish reception at the Embassy of Vietnam in New Delhi after presenting his credentials to the Hon’ble President of India. Several Indian dignitaries and prominent businessmen were present in the credential ceremony that was held in the evening. A 3-member TPCI delegation led by Suresh Kumar Makhijani, Jt. Director General at TPCI welcomed the Hon’ble Ambassador on his formal appointment.

Country Profile- Czech Republic

Czech Republic is located in the Central Europe and is a landlocked country and recognised as a manufacturing powerhouse. It is an export led economy.

Product Profile: Tea

Tea has been a very important part of the Indian culture. But there is no concrete documentation of the history of tea drinking in the Indian subcontinent for the pre-colonial period. It may have been mentioned in the ancient texts using a different referential name.

Is India a high tariff economy?

India is widely known as a country with high import tariffs. This view, however, may look fallacious. Changing this view is important for several reasons, both within India and outside.

Why USA has ameliorated Indian oil import scenario?

The Trump administration has granted exemptions to eight countries, including Japan, India and South Korea, to continue importing Iranian oil since they have made significant reductions in oil imports from Iran.

Will rice help bridge the widening trade deficit with China?

India has a huge trade deficit with China and this gap is rising with every successive year. In order to bridge this widening trade deficit, New Delhi has been pitching for market access for a variety of its goods to China, including non-basmati rice, sugar, rice and pharmaceuticals.

Dollar : Rise, Hegemony and Fall

India found a way of coming out of dollar payment and paying Iran in rupees for the oil it bought when sanctions were enforced on Iran prior to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal or Iran deal, signed between Iran and the P5+1 countries in Vienna on July 14, 2015.

Hiking MSP for Rabi crops a step in the right direction

Several key persons connected with agriculture in India have been talking of ways and means to improve crop production of agricultural commodities like pulses and edible oils in which India remains heavily dependent on imports.

Making India more business friendly

India is on course to becoming more business friendly with each passing year, courtesy a series of reforms that have enabled India to climb up the ladder on the World Bank’s Doing Business Index for the second successive year.

Major shift towards construction and infrastructure development all across the GCC countries

Ever since oil first spurted from a well in Bahrain in 1931 and it was subsequently discovered throughout the Gulf, the focus in all the nations that are now called Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) remained on ways to extracting oil, refining it and transporting it.

“Czech government interested to boost bilateral trade & investment”

H.E. Mrs. Narinder Chauhan is a seasoned and dynamic diplomat with more than three decades of active service in various key assignments, both in India and abroad. She is presently posted as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to The Czech Republic, in which capacity she recently played host to the visit of Hon’ble President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind to The Czech Republic.

Preparing to meet global trade challenges

It was in early June this year that former Secretary of the Department of Commerce of the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Rita Teaotia, outlined the challenges facing global trade, including protectionism and threats to the World Trade Organization (WTO) system, when Asian countries of the Commonwealth gathered in New Delhi to deliberate on how to respond to major shifts in the global trade landscape.

Country profile- Germany

Germany is located in the Centre-Western Europe. It is one of the most populous countries in the European Union. The United Nations Development Programme ranks Germany, 5th in terms of Human Development Index with the value of 0.936.

Mandatory for exports of food products to the US to put new labels

If you are exporting food products to the US, you must know that it has been made mandatory by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put new labels on food products in the U.S. The changes have been made with an aim to keep the end consumer better informed about details of the food that she and her family eats so as to enable them to make healthier choices.

Product profile- Sesame seed

Sesame or sesamum indicum L. is commonly known as ‘Till’ in India. Sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops known. It was domesticated over 3000 years ago. It was a major summer crop in the Middle East for thousands of years.

WTO norm and Indian practice on food security: An angle of dichotomy

The Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) was considered to be the starting point for liberalizing trade in agriculture. This framework consists of three main pillars i.e. market access, domestic support, export subsidies. Domestic support measures are basically categorized in three different general boxes, depending on their trade distortive potential.

Bilateral trade target of USD 15 billion will be met before 2020: Vietnamese minister Tran Thanh Nam

Bilateral ties between India and Vietnam have strengthened in recent years with a shared focus on regional security issues and trade. India and Vietnam have traditionally been good friends ever since Vietnam’s independence in the 70s.

“India-Vietnam partnership key to peace & stability in Indo-Pacific region”

Vietnam in recent years has seen high economic growth and expansion of trade and investment, which has resulted in the country moving out of the category of Least Developed Country (LDC) and become part of new lower middle income country (MIC).

Why PM’s visit to Japan is crucial: Exploring food value chains and agricultural trade

As global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, food needs would require a doubling of agricultural production. The need of the hour is to meet the rising demand, increase productivity, lower costs, use fewer resources such as energy, water and pesticides, and improve product quality and availability.

Improving trade with neighbours through land route, top priority for Ministry of Commerce & Industry

What is common between Marks & Spencer, VIP Industries, Reliance Retail, Raymond Apparel, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail and Puma Sports? All these companies are sourcing their requirements of apparel and related goods from neighbouring Bangladesh and transporting into India through Petrapole-Benapole (Bangladesh) border

Keep an eye on acrylamide levels in your Food and Beverage exports to Europe

If you are an Indian exporter of Food and Beverage products that need to be baked, fried, grilled, toasted or roasted and you are exporting to Europe, you must know that new regulations designed to reduce overall levels of acrylamide consumption have become applicable all over Europe.

Is it really possible to replicate sugar output success in pulses and oilseeds?

Data compiled by the Union Ministry of Agriculture showed India’s total cane and sugar output at 306 million tonnes for 2016-17. During the same year, however, industry sources estimate the total sugar production of 23.26 million tonnes.

Exporters of Indian rapeseed gainer in the wake of US-China tariff war

India is likely to be the gainer of US-China tariff war that continues unabated. Indian rapeseed exporters will soon be restarting rapeseed meal export to its neighbour China, who was India’s biggest buyer of rapeseed, a key ingredient in animal food, until it banned purchases in 2011-12.

Department of Commerce taking concrete steps to grow exports and provide jobs

The Minister for Commerce & Industry Mr. Suresh Prabhu recently said India is keen to grow exports and provide more jobs for the young, talented, well-educated and even semi-skilled and unskilled workforce of India.

Robust manufacturing base is a must for signing FTAs

India is negotiating seven free trade agreements (FTAs) with countries such as Russia, Australia and Peru that could help it deal with possible loss of share in traditional markets such as the US and the EU that are negotiating mega regional trade pacts.

Food Standards & Non-Tariff Barriers on Marine Exports

Food standards are standards imposed by countries to protect human, animal and plant health. They fall under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards (SPS) Agreement of the WTO.

Concrete steps needed towards attaining sustained economic growth objective

One does not have to be an economic pundit to prophesy that India is set for an explosive growth. Great changes are taking place in the country which will have game-changing opportunities for the country’s economy and wide ranging implications for domestic businesses, multinational companies, and the government.

Product Profile- Cashew Nuts

The Cashew tree (Anacardiumoccidentale) is considered the native to the northern part of South America, but is now grown almost all over the world.

Will India be the engine of growth for the global economy in future?

India is well on track to sustain its position as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. It will be an engine of growth for the global economy for the next few decades and it could play the role China did for the world economy during the last two decades.

Connecting through water, for regional cooperation

The much talked about Chabahar port, which opened a new strategic transit route between India, Iran and Afghanistan that bypassed Pakistan and which is expected to cut transport costs significantly, is not the only such activity that India is pursuing. Large deliberations have been undertaken and focus is now on improving connectivity through water, for enhanced regional cooperation.

Improved connectivity to boost trade between India and Bangladesh: Jahangir Bin Alam, Secretary & CEO, IBCCI

Jahangir Bin Alam visited TPCI office to discuss further the avenues to boost bilateral trade between the two countries. Excerpts from the interview:

Country Profile- The Netherlands

Located in the North-Western Europe, The Netherlands is actually a kingdom which also consists of the Islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. The United Nations Development Programme ranks Netherlands 10th in terms of Human Development Index. It is ranked 32nd in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by World Bank with a 1st rank in trading across borders and 8th in resolving insolvency.

Frozen fish export from India continue to see astounding growth

Risks not being tackled in a leaderless world

When former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said about a month back that risks were not being tackled now in a leaderless world and consequently the global economy was “sleepwalking into a future crisis”, many would have thought that he was talking of some distant future, which may or may not come to pass.

Maldives Election Results: What it means for India as new dawn emerges on Maldivian archipelago

Winds blowing from across the mighty Indian Ocean have brought a great change in the Maldivian archipelago. A new dawn has emerged in this tropical nation comprising of palm-fringed islands, merely 523 km southwest of India’s southern tip. The win of opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the Presidential election in the Maldives is being seen as a new era of democratic revival that could push the island country closer to India. The Presidential elections were to elect the Head of Government in Maldives but they have been so consequential and of such strategic importance that some analysts are already seeing it as India’s diplomatic win over China.

Plastic menace: Problem and its solution

Ironically, only two years ago, this award was given to a young lawyer from Mumbai – Afroz Shah – for the cleanliness work done by him and his team to transform the Versova beach, in other words, to remove largely plastic waste washed into the sea and accumulated near the coast.

Brexit: Will there be another referendum in Britain

Brexit was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision when Great Britain voted in 2016 on ‘Leave’ or ‘Not to Leave’ the European Union (EU). But with the Brexit talks with the EU hitting an impasse, France saying that it is preparing for a scenario where they would end up doing No Deal and the Labour Party leadership putting the option of another vote on the table, Brexit is heading for unclear future at the moment, at least for now, and various groups in Britain have already started talking of another referendum on whether to remain in EU or not.

Policy Incentivizing Sugar Exporters: What India can expect?

India’s cabinet recently approved incentives to boost cash-strapped mills to export sugar in the 2018-19 season as a part of farm support policy. This effort is germane to trim bulging domestic stockpiles which can be channelized to fetch dollars. According to this novel policy, cabinet will give transport subsidies of 1,000 rupees ($13.77) a tonne to 3,000 rupees a tonne to sugar mills, depending on their distance from ports. Also, the cabinet approbated the policy by uplifting the price that government directly pays to the cane growers to 138 rupees ($1.90) a tonne in the new season beginning October 2018.

Government steps in with measures to check widening current account deficit and capital outflows

Trade pundits in TPCI were since long speculating that it was time now for the Government to step in and take strong measures to curb non-essential imports, with the explicit purpose of checking the widening current account deficit (CAD) and capital outflows. This had become mandatory as the current account deficit had widened to 2.4 per cent of GDP in the April-June quarter.

European Union proposes to contemplate WTO towards pro-modernization

The multilateral trading system has so far provided a steady and effective framework for conducting business across the globe, helping many economies to propagate rapidly. Today, the WTO is indispensable for ensuring open, fair and rules-based trade. However, despite its success, the World Trade Organization has not been able to adapt sufficiently to the dynamism of the global economy. The world has changed, the WTO has not. It's appropriate time for WTO to act to frame the system, to address challenges of the today's global economy and work for everyone, again.

Country Profile- United Kingdom

The United Nations Development Programme ranks the UK 16th in terms of Human Development Index. This rank is above the likes of France and Belgium. They are also ranked 7th in ‘Ease of Doing Business’ by World Bank with a Distance to Frontier (DTF) of 82.22.

Product Profile- Leather Industry

Leather is one of the most widely traded commodities globally. The growth in demand for leather is driven by the fashion industry, especially footwear. Apart from this, furniture and interior design industries, as well as the automotive industry also demand leather. The leather industry has a place of prominence in the Indian economy due to substantial export earnings and growth. India’s leather industry has grown drastically, transforming from a mere raw material supplier to a value-added product exporter. The Indian leather industry accounts for around 12.9% of the world’s leather production of hides/skins.

New waterways to ease trade from North East Region

Indian government, in the last 4 years and under the leadership of our Prime Minister, has made its relations with East Asian neighbours a foreign policy.

Who will win the US-China trade war?

The ongoing trade war between the US and China shows no signs of abating. Instead, it has escalated to new heights in recent days with the US President announcing 10% tariffs yet again against $200 billion worth of Chinese goods with a threat of more tariffs on another $267 billion of US imports.

Will India board the RCEP train or not?

How India handles RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) is something that is being pondered and deliberated in the high corridors of power. Since RCEP is an extended Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with 10 ASEAN countries viz. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines

Product Profile: Tea Industry

The global tea market has witnessed a strong and steady growth in the tea production and tea consumption from around the world over the recent decades, while the top tea producing countries are still dominating the global market with their significant tea productions year on year.

‘Make or Buy’ Dilemma: India’s Solar PV Market Outlook

India’s Ministry of Commerce, through the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), has recently enforced a safeguard duty (SGD) on solar cells and modules imported from China and Malaysia for the next two years. DGTR, created as an umbrella authority for trade matters under the Ministry of Commerce

Nipah virus threat followed by Kerala floods led to Pakistan gaining on export of fresh fruits and vegetables

As if the Nipah virus threat that led to several GCC countries banning import of fresh, chilled and frozen vegetables and fruits from Kerala was not enough, the recent floods in Kerala have further aggravated the situation, thus leading to Pakistan trying to gain on the void caused in the GCC market.

Falling rupee: Is the situation as bad as it was in 2013?

The Indian rupee, which hovered between 68 and 69 rupees during most part of this year so far has underwent a sudden decline, falling by nearly 10% in recent days to reach above 72 rupee mark to a dollar.

Country Profile- Turkey

Turkey's largely free-market economy is driven by its industry and, increasingly, service sectors, although its traditional agriculture sector still accounts for about 25% of employment. The automotive, petrochemical, and electronics industries have risen in importance and surpassed the traditional textiles and clothing sectors within Turkey's export mix.

Indian packaging companies to pack African milk, liquor and F&B products

The African continent has recently emerged as a high growth region for the packaging industry, with demand being driven by increased markets for consumer products, burgeoning individual incomes, an expanding population of youthful consumers and growing domestic economies, particularly in East and West Africa.

Third Era of Trade: Global Value Chains

Global value chains have transformed the world by revolutionizing development options facing poor nations. Now it is possible for these nations to join value chains rather than having to invest decades in building their own. The offshoring of labor-intensive manufacturing stages and the attendant international mobility of technology launched era-defining growth in emerging markets, they have brought a welcome change that fosters and is fostered by domestic policy reform.

“India and Turkey share strong commercial and economic relations”

India is the partner country in the prestigious 87th Izmir International Trade Show to be held in Izmir - the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara – from 7th to 11th September, 2018. India is the Partner Country in the trade show, in which TPCI, along with the Ministry of Commerce, will be putting up an India Pavilion, which will host a very strong presence of 75 Indian companies.

The TPCI delegation will have great chance to promote Indian products in Turkey: Atilla Bastirmaci, Ministry of Trade, Turkey

The prestigious 87th Izmir International Trade Show will be held from 7-11 September, 2018 in Turkey. India is the Focus Country and the Indian Pavilion, aptly called Souce India, will have a strong presence of 75 Indian businessmen from various fields who are going to participate in this event along with TPCI.

Canada mulls over NAFTA talks

It is now Canada which is mulling over trade talks with the USA after a decision was taken to overhaul the existing trade pact by Mexico and the USA. Canada rejoined face-to-face negotiations with the United States and Mexico after the two continental partners reached a deal that has raised fresh concerns about the fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

COUNTRY PROFILE- CANADA

Canada’s economic competitiveness has been sustained by strong rule of law and the solid institutional foundations of an open-market system. Canada boasts of an economic freedom score of 77.7, making the economy the 9th freest in the 2018 index. The country also has an ‘Ease of Doing Business Rank’ of 18 among 190 countries.

PRODUCT PROFILE- CERAMICS

Ceramics is a diverse industry and contains several categories of products, including sanitary ware, refractories, cement, advanced ceramics and ceramic tiles.

Is Indian trade turmoil bothering macro prospects?

While the Indian rupee has been under momentous stress since last couple of months, it may portray a bothering situation for policymakers and economists. But is this worry perennial, from Indian macroeconomic perspective? A global environment of monetary policy tightening, escalated oil prices and mounting trade tensions have triggered the scenario of capital flight from emerging markets and supported US dollar strength. Malign concerns from the recent Turkey’s economic turmoil have miffed most emerging-market currencies, not just the rupee.

Doing Business with Mexico

It was normally felt that Mexico is too far a country to do business with. Not anymore! Bilateral trade between India and Mexico are continuously on the rise with India-Mexico bilateral trade growing to US$8.37 billion in CY 2017, an unprecedented 33% increase against 2016.

Investment opportunities for Indian firms and more jobs for Indian professionals opening up in Saudi Arabia

Good investment opportunities for Indian firms as well as more jobs for Indian professionals are likely to open up in Saudi Arabia in light of the gulf country’s increased public expenditure outlay in the infrastructure sector, particularly the US$500 billion futuristic mega city Project “NEOM” and the Red Sea Tourism Project. Immense scope and opportunities for Indian firms exist in the infrastructure sector and it remains to be seen how much business they bring to India.

Increasing import duty on textile and other products likely to boost Indian industry

With an aim to further incentivize the domestic textile industry, Indian government has increased the import duty on textile products for the second time in a month, doubling customs duty on 328 tariff lines of textile products from 10 per cent currently to 20 per cent. It is expected that this higher duty will help the Indian textile industry, which employs nearly 10.5 crore people and has been facing stiff competition from cheaper imports, particularly from China.

Is India’s first move of protectionist measure remunerative?

India doubled the import tax on more than 300 textile products to 20% in early August as the world’s biggest producer of cotton tries to curb rising imports from China. It was the second tax hike on textiles in as many months after an increase on other products including fibre and apparels which was surged in July. The moves are anticipated to provide relief to the domestic textile industry, which has been hit by cheaper imports.

Product Profile- Indian Dye and Dye Stuffs Industry

The dye & dyestuff industry plays an important role in the overall growth of the chemical industry. Major portion of dyes are used in the textile industry and textile, carpet and garment industry are one of the largest and most prominent sectors. Growth of the textile industry has a direct impact on the growth of dyes stuff industry.

Country Profile- Mexico

Mexico is a country located between the USA and Central America. It is the 10th most populated country in the world and is home to over 130 mn people. Mexico has an Economic Freedom score of 64.8, putting the country in the ‘moderately free’ category with a rank of 63rd for 2018. World Bank has also given the country a Doing Business rank of 49th, with a Distance to Frontier of 72.27. Moreover, they have high scores for Getting Credit, Resolving Insolvency, and Enforcing Contracts. In 2017, Mexico reported a GDP of $1,149bn, and a growth of 1.1% from 2016-17.

Product Profile- Basmati Rice

Basmati rice has been enjoying a premium position in the global marketplace, which has reflected greatly on the growth of the market for basmati rice across the world. Basmati rice, grown for many centuries in the Indian subcontinent, is known globally for its fragrance and its flavour.

Country Profile- United States of America

The United States of America is the world’s foremost economic power, with global interests and an unmatched global reach. Its GDP was over $19.39 trillion in 2017 and accounted for close to a quarter of the world total.

Potential impact on Indian agricultural exports: USA-China trade dispute perspective

The United States and China, the world’s largest economic powers, have combated in an accelerating trade dispute since first quarters of 2018. This ever-changing story lingers to evolve, with auxiliary tariffs pronounced by the United States in late May 2018. Agricultural trade has gained attention due to this ongoing trade dispute. This trade acrimony between China and the United States may facilitate Indian agricultural exports as China has been the United States’ top agricultural export market outside of North America since 2009 with an annual sale of nearly $20 billion in 2017.

India-Russia to hold their first ever strategic dialogue in July in St Petersburg

The first ever Indo-Russian Strategic Economic Dialogue will be held in St Petersburg this July to strengthen the economic partnership between the two nations. The strategic dialogue was planned by Indian PM and the President of the Russian Federation in their informal summit.

China removes import tariffs on pharmaceutical products: India-China trade scenario

China has exempted import tariffs for 28 drugs, including all cancer drugs, from 1st May 2018. The move is expected to boost Indian exports of pharmaceuticals to the neighboring country as well as help reduce trade imbalance between China and India in the future.

India’s foreign trade account for April 2018

The foreign trade scenario of April 2018 in India has largely been witnessing a positive growth as compared to April 2017, with both exports and Imports experiencing visible increase. Talking in terms of exports which includes re-exports of merchandise goods, a significant positive growth of 5.17% has been witnessed. The exports in April 2018 increased to US $25.91 billion compared to US $24.64 billion in April 2017.

Exports dominated in November: Buttressed by unraveled GST and spurred Global Demand

After a brief sluggishness during in previous months, exports rose 30.55% to $26.19 billion in November on account of improved global demand, government incentives and simplification of GST payment mechanism.

Agricultural Trade Negotiations 2017 – Make or Break for India

Waning quantum of Indian agricultural exports in past couple of years is enervating the India’s position as a net food exporter. With tad value addition in agricultural exports, Indian manufacturers are unable to compete with the agro- processing industries of developed countries like Australia, Canada and economies of EU.

Foreign Trade Policy – Mid Term Review : Must for waning Fiscal Burden

The much-awaited review of the Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) was announced earlier this month by the Commerce Minister extending support to exporters, especially those from leather- intensive sectors, to help deal with implementation burden of the new Goods & Services Tax (GST) regime.

Why 11th Ministerial Meeting of WTO is important for Global Agricultural Trade?

Argentina is scheduled to host the Eleventh Ministerial Conference of the WTO from 10th to 13th December 2017 in Buenos Aires. Ministerial Conference is the decision-making body of the WTO that takes important trade liberalization decisions.

Slowing productivity growth in developed countries

Improved momentum in the Chinese economy in the first half of this year due to rising domestic demand has reassured the global growth

Is Green Corridor a new trade instrument for the coming years?

With trade between Russia and India far below its potential, the two countries are contemplating creating a ‘green corridor’ for the smooth transit of goods. But what is the idea behind this green corridor?

Empowering Steady Synergies – India Korea Financial Dialogue 2017

The world is witnessing a new surge of protectionism, especially from the developed world. It is a period of transforming international relations for the developing ones. With a similar motive, the 5th Korea-India Financial Dialogue, a four day long meet was held on June 17, 2017, in Seoul, South Korea.

Soaring Current Account Deficit of India

According to the data issued by the Reserve Bank of India, the current account deficit (CAD) of the country narrowed to 0.7 per cent of GDP for the financial year 2016-17 from 1.1 per cent in 2015-16 mainly due to contraction in the trade deficit.

Trilateral to Multilateral: A scope of expanding markets

Changing geopolitical dimensions in world economy and the attention centered on India’s growth are strong reasons for India to extend its strengths within and around its frontiers. One of the sources to bestow the required strength is ‘Trade’

Box Shifting in developed nations and the need for Special Safeguard Measures

India will be pushing for finalising the work programme for a transparent Special Safeguard Measures (SSM) in the WTO Summit to be held in Argentina this December. SSM allows developing countries to raise import duties on agricultural products in response to import surges.

Integrating neighbouring economies to expand trade

The easiest market access for most finished goods is in nearby countries; but history, political rivalry, colonial rules and a host of other reasons might have left this natural advantage unexploited. This needs to be nurtured with transport infrastructure and appropriate policies.

Significance of Regional Economic Integration in Africa- Possibilities for India

Historically, reasons for emergence of regional integration arrangements in Africa were political exigencies and economic needs. It is often argued that India should look at Africa not as an aggregation of individual economies, but of regional blocs.

India’s Thriving Pharmaceutical Industry

India’s pharmaceutical industry is currently brimming with activities. The recent drug and plant approvals received by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has made Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila) the most valuable pharmaceutical company by market capitalisation after Lupin.

India’s membership in Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an intergovernmental organization founded in Shanghai on 15 June 2001 by six countries, People’s Republic of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

India’s growing demand for Solar Panels- Import Substitution or Optimality?

Indian Solar Manufacturer’s Association (ISMA) has appealed in June 2017 for the third time in five years, to the Directorate General of Anti-Dumping (DGAD), to impose anti-dumping duty on solar panels. This time the application is against China, Malaysia and Taiwan.

JAPAN-EU Economic Partnership Agreement- A potential for India to expand its trade?

Japan and the European Union recently announced their agreement on an economic partnership that would form a free-trade zone between the partners as early as 2019. The agreement between the 2nd (EU) and 4th (Japan) ranked countries in terms of nominal GDP is called..

Rethinking India’s Agricultural Distress

One often misses the paradigm shifts and structural changes happening in agriculture while analyzing its problems. Some issues are ever changing, while some persist. Here, we focus on one such unrelieved stumbling block faced by farmers. Lately, low farm incomes are being..

Implications of GST on textiles sector

Textiles is one of the most important industries for India in terms of its share in GDP, employment and exports. The industry contributes 2 per cent of GDP, 10 per cent to manufacturing output and 13 per cent of India’s export earnings. On the employment front, it provides 50 million jobs directly, and approximately 60 million indirectly. India’s contribution to total world exports is 5.12 per cent . There is indeed huge scope for an improvement.

South China sea dispute- Looming threat for India

The South China Sea is an important economic and strategic region of Indo- Pacific. It is bordered by Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. It is a critical commercial gateway for significant portion of world’s merchant shipping.

Implications of GST- Gems and Jewellery sector

Gems and Jewellery sector is one of the fastest growing, export oriented and labour intensive sectors. Its contribution to Indian economy is quite significant. 6 to 7 % of GDP comes from this sector. Its contribution to foreign exchange earning stood at UDS 38.59 billion in 2016.

Amazon buys Whole Foods: Unfolding of Opportunities for India

There seems to be no stopping for Amazon. To boost their grocery delivery ambitions, it has acquired Whole Foods for a banging $13.7 billion. Whole Foods is American supermarket chain which is famous for natural and organic foods and is also the first National Certified Organic grocer in the US.

G20 Summit- What should be India’s agenda?

Twelfth G-20 Summit will be held on 7th and 8th July, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany. It’s a premier forum for economic cooperation and to discuss the challenges faced by its member countries. There are many pressing issues which the member countries including India would want to address at the Summit. But it is important to prioritize the issues.

India’s Outlook on the Pursuit of E-commerce.

E-commerce has been a focal area for WTO this year, as was witnessed during WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo’s visit to India in February, 2017. Also, many developed countries are wanting to take up this issue in the WTO’s eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina in December 2017. In addition, the Aid-for-Trade initiative which was launched at the 2005 Hong Kong WTO Ministerial Conference, and aims to support ..

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